312    410 


65917 


AN 


I.  D.  B. 


SOUTH    AFRICA 


BY 


LOUISK  v^sf  £^us-sif  g 

'  AUTHOR   OF 

J*  YANiygE  jciRii  jy"  ^ufjj^  ±.±s*p"Jt  \   /  ^ 


I L LUSTRA  TED  BY  G.  E.  GRA  I'ES  AND  AL  HEXCKE 


NEW  YORK 

JOHN    W.  LOVELL  COMPANY 
14  AND  16  VESEY  STREET 


COPYRIGHT,  1888,  BY 

£   VESCELIUS-SHELDON 

rights  reserved 


TROWS 

PRINTING  AND   BOOKBINDING  COMPANY, 
NEW  YORK. 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  Marked  Diamond. 

"  WHO  is  that  beautiful  woman  in  the  box 
opposite  us,  Herr  Schwatka  ?  " 

"Which  one,  Major?  There  are  two,  if 
my  eyes  may  be  trusted." 

"  She  with  the  dark  hair  ?" 

"That  is  Mrs.  Laure,  and  the  gentleman 
is  her  husband,  Donald  Laure." 

"What  a  beautiful  creature,  is  she  not?" 

"  Yes,  beautiful  indeed,  as  many  of  the 
Cape  women  are.  But  the  union  of  Euro 
pean  with  African  produces,  in  their  descend 
ants,  beings  endowed  with  strange  and  in 
consistent  natures.  These  two  bloods  mingle 
but  will  not  blend  ;  more  prominently  are 
these  idiosyncrasies  developed  where  the 
Zulu  parentage  can  be  traced,  and  naturally 
so,  for  the  Zulus  are  the  most  intelligent  of 
all  the  African  tribes.  Now  they  are  all 


263751 


4  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

love,  tenderness,  and  devotion,  ready  to  make 
any  sacrifice  for  those  on  whom  their  affec 
tions  are  placed  ;  again  revengeful,  jealous, 
vindictive." 

"  But  surely  that  woman  has  no  African 
blood  in  her  veins,"  said  the  major. 

"Yes,"  replied  Schwatka,  quietly  ;  "but 
the  fact  is  not  generally  known." 

"  What  eyes  !  I  should  like  to  know  such 
a  woman.  To  analyze  character  moulded 
in  such  a  form  would  be  a  delightful  study. 
And  the  lady  with  her,  who  may  she  be  ?" 
continued  the  major. 

"  Miss  Kate  Darcy,  an  American  lady  now 
visiting  her  brother,  a  director  in  the  Stand 
ard  Diamond  Mining  Company.  These  Amer 
icans  turn  up  everywhere,"  and  Schwatka 
lifted  his  shoulders  with  an  expressive  shrug. 

"Then  the  gentleman  with  her  is  the 
brother,  eh  ? "  persistently  continued  the 
major. 

"  No,  that  is  Count  Telfus,  a  large  dealer 
in  diamonds,  said  to  have  made  much  money. 
There  goes  the  curtain." 

The  preceding  conversation  between  Ma 
jor  Kildare  and  Herr  Schwatka  took  place 


An  /.  D.  JB.  in  South  Africa.  5 


in  a  box  of  the 
Theatre   Royal 
on  the  Kimberley  Dia 
mond  Fields.  As  Schwatka 
looked  at  Donald  Laure,  the  latter  glanced 


6  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

across  the  house  ;  their  eyes  met  and  a  sign 
of  recognition  passed  between  them.  Pres 
ently  Mrs.  Laure  turned,  disclosing  an  ex 
quisitely  beautiful  face,  but  one  apparently 
unconscious  of  the  effect  of  its  beauty.  Her 
height  was  slightly  below  the  average,  and 
her  form  faultless.  Her  short,  black,  wavy 
hair  adorned  a  small  but  beautifully-shaped 
head,  crowning  a  swan-like  neck,  encircled 
by  a  necklace  of  diamonds  and  rubies  spark 
ling  like  drops  of  dew.  Her  toilet  was  con 
spicuous  by  its  elegance — an  elegance  that 
well  became  her  unusual  style. 

Shortly  before  the  end  of  the  first  act, 
while  the  attention  of  the  audience  was 
riveted  on  the  stage,  a  man  quietly  entered 
the  Laure  box,  and  touching  Count  Telfus 
on  the  shoulder  whispered  a  few  words  in 
his  ear.  The  Count  gave  a  sudden  start, 
his  face  blanching  perceptibly,  but  with 
perfect  composure  of  carriage  he  arose,  and, 
excusing  himself  to  the  ladies,  retired  from 
the  box.  The  stranger  had  entered  unno 
ticed  by  the  other  occupants,  who  were  atten 
tively  listening  to  the  music  of  the  opera, 
with  the  exception  of  Donald  Laure,  who 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  7 

had  been  an  observer  of  the  proceeding. 
As  the  curtain  fell  at  the  end  of  the  act  he 
followed  the  Count. 

Major  Kildare,  who  had  been  interested 
in  watching  the  face  of  Mrs.  Laure,  observed 
this  scene  in  the  box  and  drew  Herr  Schwat- 
ka's  attention.  The  latter  sprang  to  his 
feet,  at  the  same  time  exclaiming,  in  a  voice 
low  but  audible  to  those  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  "Detectives."  Drawing  the  Major's 
arm  through  his,  he  led  him  out  of  the  the 
atre,  into  the  cafe  adjoining,  where  they 
found  Count  Telfus  in  charge  of  two  men 
of  the  detective  force.  The  Count  stood 
silent  in  the  midst  of  the  excited  crowd  that 
filled  the  room ;  but  his  pale  face  and  the 
nervous  manner  in  which  he  bit  on  an  un- 
lighted  cigar  plainly  showed  that  he  was 
suffering  intensely. 

"  Count  Telfus,"  said  one  of  the  detectives, 
"  we  have  an  order  for  your  arrest,  and  you 
must  also  permit  us  to  search  you.  We 
trust  that  we  have  been  misinformed,  but  a 
marked  diamond  has  been  traced  to  your 
possession,  and  our  orders  are  imperative." 

"  I  have  nothing  about  me  not  mine  by  a 


8  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

legitimate  ownership,"  said  the  Count,  in  a 
cold,  clear  voice,  "  and  I  will  not  submit  to 
the  outrage  of  a  personal  search.  It  is  well 
known  that  I  am  a  licensed  diamond  buyer  ; 
here  is  the  proof  of  it."  And  he  drew  a 
paper  from  his  pocket. 

"  That  you  are  a  licensed  buyer  is  the 
greater  reason  why  your  dealings  should  be 
honest,"  rejoined  one  of  his  captors,  proceed 
ing  to  search  him.  Even  as  he  spoke  he 
drew  a  large  diamond  from  the  Count's  vest- 
pocket. 

"  Fifteen  years  in  the  chain-gang,"  cried 
an  ex-Judge  who  had  bought  many  a  stone 
on  the  sly. 

"  Father  Abraham  !  "  exclaimed  a  sympa 
thizing  Israelite,  "  how  could  he  be  so 
careless  with  such  a  blazer."  Similar 
ejaculations  rose  from  the  crowd  around 
him. 

In  those  bitter  moments  a  despair  like* 
death  fell  on  Telfus  ;  for  his  life  was 
blighted  and  his  family  name  disgraced. 
He  did  not  see  that  excited  crowd  of  which 
he  was  the  centre  ;  he  only  saw,  in  his  mind's 
eye,  his  mother's  face  filled  with  an  agony 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  g 

of  shame.  And  he  heard,  with  the  acute- 
ness  that  comes  only  in  times  of  greatest 
distress,  the  low  contralto  tones  of  a  soul 
ful  voice  floating  from  the  stage  of  the  thea 
tre  within,  and  breathing  out  the  words  : 
"  Farewell,  farewell,  my  dear,  my  happy 
home." 

Alone  he  stood,  bidding  an  inward  fare 
well  to  his  own  home — condemned  to  an 
infamous  exposure. 

His  friends  around  him  were  powerless 
to  aid,  for  the  diamond  had  been  found  on 
him.  "Sorry  for  you,  old  boy,"  said  Dr. 
Fox,  an  American,  as  he  wrung  the  hand 
above  which  the  detectives  put  on  the 
bracelets  of  the  law,  which  shutting  with  a 
click,  struck  on  the  Count's  consciousness 
like  a  knell  of  doom.  He  gasped,  and  stifled 
a  cry  that  rose  to  his  lips.  When  his  hands 
were  secured,  followed  by  a  noisy  crowd,  he 
was  led  to  a  Cape  cart  standing  in  front  of 
the  door.  He  sank  into  the  seat,  a  broken 
hearted  man,  his  thoughts  far  away  in  that 
home  in  Paris,  which  on  the  morrow  would 
be  filled  with  sorrow  and  anguish. 

Suddenly  arousing  himself  he   asked  to 


io  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

be  taken  to  the  telegraph  office.  Arriving 
there  they  found  it  closed. 

''Fortune  favors  me  thus  much,"  he 
thought  ;  "  the  only  news  they  will  receive 
will  be  that  I  am  dead." 

They  reached  the  prison,  and  the  Count 
was  placed  in  a  cell. 

Before  the  sound  of  the  jailer's  footsteps 
had  died  away,  the  report  of  a  pistol  told 
that  Telfus  had  passed  beyond  the  reach  of 
human  law. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Mystic  Sign. 

WITHIX  rifle-shot  of  the  "  ninth  wonder 
of  the  world,"  the  great  Kimberley  Mine, 
stood  a  pretty  one-story  cottage  nestling 
among  a  mass  of  creepers  that  shaded  a 
wide  veranda.  The  house,  like  many 
others  on  the  Fields,  was  constructed  of 
corrugated  iron,  fastened  to  a  framework 
of  wood.  Beams  were  laid  on  the  ground  ; 
to  these  were  fastened  uprights  from  four 
to  six  inches  square. 

In  place  of  lath  and  plastered  walls, 
thick  building  paper  formed  the  interior 
covering,  leaving  a  space  between  the  iron 
outside  and  the  paper  within. 

The  interior  of  the  cottage  was  in  marked 
contrast  with  its  outer  appearance.  A  wide 
hall  extended  through  the  entire  depth,  with 
a  door  at  each  end.  The  walls  were  artisti- 


12  An  7.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

cally  hung  with  shields,  assagaies,  spears, 
and  knob-kerries,  and  in  either  corner  stood 
a  large  elephant's  tusk,  mounted  on  a  pedes 
tal  of  ebony. 

A  small  horned  head  of  the  beautiful 
blesse-bok  hung  over  a  door  leading  into  an 
apartment,  the  floor  of  which  was  covered 
with  India  matting,  over  which  was  strewn 
karosses  of  rarest  fur  ;  a  piano  stood  in  one 
corner,  while  costly  furniture,  rich  lace,  and 
satin  hangings  were  arranged  with  an  artis 
tic  sense  befitting  the  mistress  of  it  all. 

On  a  divan,  the  upholstering  of  which 
was  hidden  by  a  karosse  of  leopard  skins, 
reclined  Dainty  Laure,  a  woman  on  whom 
the  South  African  suns  had  shone  for  not 
more  than  twenty  years.  The  light,  softened 
by  amber  curtains,  revealed  an  oval  face, 
with  features  of  that  sensuous  type  seen  only 
in  those  born  in  the  climes  of  the  sun.  This 
clear,  olive-tinted  face  showed  a  love  of  ease 
and  luxury,  unless  the  blood  which  seemed 
to  sleep  beneath  its  crystal  veil  should 
rouse  to  a  purpose,  and  make  this  being  a 
dangerous  and  implacable  enemy. 

Her  eyes  were   closed  ;  one   would  have 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


thought  she  slept,  but  for 
-•^  the  occasional  motion 
1ft  of  a  fan  of  three  os 
trich  feathers.  The 
reverie  into  which 
-  -  she  had  fall- 


"* '    en  was   broken  by 
the  striking  of  the  clock. 
The  pencilled  eyebrows  gave 


14  An  I.  D.  B,  in  South  Africa. 

a  little  electric  move,  and  the  lids  slowly 
unveiled  those  dark  languorous  eyes,  which 
seemed  like  hidden  founts  of  love. 

So  expressive  was  the  play  of  those  deli 
cate  eyelids  that  one  forgot  the  face  in 
watching  them,  as  they  would  droop  and 
droop,  and  then  slowly  open  until  the 
great,  luminous  orbs  appeared,  and  seemed 
to  dilate  with  an  infinite  wonder,  a  sort  of 
child-like  fear  combined  with  the  look  of  a 
caged  wild  animal.  This  expression  ex 
tended  to  the  mouth,  with  its  budding  lips 
over  small,  white  teeth.  Should  occasion 
come,  she  could  smile  with  her  eyes,  while 
her  mouth  looked  cruel. 

A  white  robe  of  fleecy  lace  clung  round 
her  form,  and  from  the  hem  of  her  garment 
peeped  a  ravishing  little  foot,  encased  in 
silken  hose  and  satin  slipper  of  the  same 
bronze  hue. 

Bracelets  of  de\vdrop  diamonds  encircled 
her  wrists,  and  with  the  rubies  and  diamonds 
at  throat  and  ear,  completed  a  toilet  which 
might  have  vied  with  that  of  some  semi- 
barbaric  Eastern  princess. 

Such   was    the    woman    in    whose    veins 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  15 

ran   the    blood    of    European   and    African 
races. 

In  one  of  the  numerous  wars  between  the 
native  tribes  and  English  soldiers  in  Africa, 
Captain  Montgomery,  pierced  by  an  assegai, 
fell  wounded  on  the  battle-field,  and  was  left 
for  dead.  For  hours  he  lay  unconscious. 
Toward  night  he  awoke  to  a  realization  of 
his  perilous  situation,  in  the  midst  of  a 
dense  underbrush  infested  with  reptiles 
and  wild  beasts,  to  which  he  at  any  moment 
might  fall  a  victim.  He  attempted  to  rise, 
but  his  stiffened  limbs  refused  their  office  ; 
thirst,  that  ever-present  demon  of  the 
wounded,  parched  his  throat. 

After  many  fruitless  efforts  he  succeeded 
in  rising  to  a  sitting  posture,  but  the  effort 
caused  his  brain  to  reel,  and  all  again  be 
came  a  blank.  For  a  short  time  he  re 
mained  in  this  condition,  when  perfect  con 
sciousness,  like  that  which  with  vivid  force 
precedes  dissolution,  returned,  and  revealed 
standing  before  him  an  aged  Zulu  chief, 
accompanied  by  an  attendant.  The  su 
preme  moment  of  his  life  seemed  to  have 


1 6  An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

arrived,  and  with  a  final  effort  he  summoned 
all  his  strength  and  made  a  sign— the  sign 
known  to  the  elect  of  all  nations.  The  sign 
was  recognized — understood — by  that  savage 
in  the  wilderness.  There,  in  that  natural 
temple  of  the  Father  of  all  good,  stood  one 
to  whom  had  descended  from  the  ages  the 
mystic  token  of  brotherhood. 

At  a  signal  the  attendant  Zulu  bounded 
away,  leaving  the  chief,  who  gently  placed 
the  soldier's  body  in  a  less  painful  position. 
The  native  soon  returned  with  three  others, 
bringing  a  litter  made  of  ox-hides,  on  which, 
with  slow  and  measured  steps,  they  bore 
him  to  their  kraal,  situated  on  a  hillside,  at 
the  foot  of  which  was  a  running  stream. 

He  was  taken  to  a  hut  and  placed  on  a 
bed  of  soft,  sweet-smelling  grasses  covered 
with  skins.  Tenderly  the  rude  Africans 
moistened  his  lips,  removed  his  clothing, 
and  bathed  his  wounds.  For  hours  he  lay 
unconscious  ;  then  a  sigh  welled  from  his 
breast,  another  and  another.  Gently  the 
attendants  raised  his  head,  and  administered 
a  cooling  drink. 

Soon  a  profuse  perspiration  covered  his 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  17 

body,  and  the  strained  look  of  pain  gradu 
ally  left  his  face. 

The  following  day  the  chief,  with  his 
principal  attendants,  visited  the  English 
man.  Forming  a  circle  round  his  couch, 
they  stood  for  several  moments  gazing  at 
the  sufferer  in  profound  silence  ;  then,  pass 
ing  before  his  pallet,  they  slowly  filed  out 
of  the  hut. 

2 


CHAPTER    III. 
Cupid's  Arrmv  in  an  African  Forest. 

FOR  several  days  Captain  Montgomery's 
condition  was  extremely  critical,  but  the 
careful  nursing  and  devoted  attention  of  the 
Izinyanga,  or  native  doctor,  aided  by  his 
simple,  yet  efficient  remedies,  soon  restored 
the  patient. 

One  morning  he  awoke  quite  free  from 
pain,  the  fever  broken,  and  with  that  sense 
of  restful  languor  that  attends  convales 
cence,  pervading  his  being.  As  he  lay  in 
this  condition,  with  his  eyes  half  closed,  he 
saw  standing  in  the  opening  of  the  hut  a 
girl  of  perhaps  sixteen  years. 

A  leopard  skin  was  thrown  over  her  right 
shoulder,  which,  falling  to  the  knee,  draped 
her  form.  A  necklace  of  strands  of  beads 
encircled  her  throat.  Her  arms  and  ankles 
were  ornamented  with  bands  of  gold.  For 
a  moment  she  gazed  on  him,  and  then  ut- 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  19 

tered  to  her  two  female  attendants  a  few 
words  consisting  of  vowel  sounds  and  sharp 
notes  made  by  clicking  the  tongue  against 
the  roof  of  the  mouth. 

On  hearing  her  voice  Montgomery  wide 
ly  opened  his  eyes,  when,  followed  by  her 
women,  the  girl  fled  with  a  springing  step 
like  a  frightened  deer. 

Often,  after  that  fleeting  vision,  during 
his  waking  moments  would  Montgomery 
feel  that  those  dusky  eyes  were  gazing  at 
him,  and  when  he  lifted  his  own  it  would  be 
to  see  her  swiftly  and  silently  moving  away. 

In  a  short  time  he  was  able  to  walk  about 
in  the  cool  shade  of  the  great  forests  of 
paardepis  and  saffron-wood,  where  he  would 
at  times  see  the  face  of  the  Zulu  princess 
peering  out,  like  some  dusky  dryad,  from 
behind  the  hanging  boughs,  only  to  disap 
pear,  when  detected,  into  the  depths  of  the 
wTood. 

After  a  few  weeks  had  passed  she  grew 
less  shy,  and  when  he  spoke  to  her  she 
would  stand  a  few  moments  listening  to 
the  unknown  tongue,  whose  accents  seemed 
to  charm  and  draw  her  to  the  spot ;  but  if 


20          An  7.  D.  />.  ///  South  Africa. 

he  made  a  motion  as  if  to  approach,  she 
would  vanish  swiftly  as  a  thought  flies. 

One  morning  when  his  health  had  become 
fully  restored,  the  chief  who  had  rescued 
the  captain  in  his  hour  of  extremity,  ap 
peared,  and  by  signs  made  him  understand 
that  he  was  to  follow  him.  They  proceeded 
to  the  outer  edge  of  the  gloomy  forest, 
where  speaking  a  few  words  in  Zuluese,  the 
native  disappeared  in  the  direction  they 
had  come.  Understanding  that  the  parting 
speech  of  his  guide  instructed  him  to  con 
tinue  in  the  course  he  had  pointed  out, 
Montgomery  pressed  forward  on  his  jour 
ney.  He  had  walked  alone,  perhaps  an 
hour,  when  he  was  startled  by  the  sight  of 
the  Princess,  emerging  from  the  shade  of 
a  tall  boxwood  tree,  leading  two  horses. 
She  motioned  him  to  take  one,  and  as  he 
leaped  on  its  back,  she  quickly  mounted  the 
other,  and  in  a  few  moments  they  had 
passed  away  from  the  scene  forever. 

These  two  beings  were  the  ancestors  of 
Dainty  Laure. 

Soon   after   his   arrival    in    Cape    Town, 


22  An  I,  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Donald  Laure  had  met  Dainty.  She  was 
little  more  than  a  child  in  years,  but  ma 
tured  in  form,  and  being  possessed  of  dan 
gerous  beauty  was  attractive  to  this  impul 
sive  Scotchman  from  the  cold  North,  where 
women  of  her  radiant  type  are  never  seen. 

From  the  first  moment  he  saw  her,  he 
had  only  one  thought,  one  idea,  which  grew 
to  a  determined  purpose,  and  that  was,  to 
possess  her.  She  was  a  wild  bird  and  knew 
little  of  the  world's  ways,  and  as  he  was  the 
first  man  who  had  laid  siege  to  her  heart  he 
amused  her,  and  she  grew  more  and  more 
interested  in  him. 

When  a  few  weeks  later  he  asked  her  to 
become  his  wife,  she  consented  with  a  half 
wonder,  half  delight  ;  and  when  the  mar 
riage  ceremony  had  taken  place,  and  they 
were  on  their  way  to  Kimberley,  she  could 
scarcely  realize  the  fact  that  she  was  a  wife  ; 
it  was  all  so  strange  and  sudden. 

Four  years  after  we  find  her  dreaming  on 
her  divan,  with  nothing  to  do  in  life  but 
to  dream. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  Unwelcome  Letter. 

THE  morning  following  the  events  related 
in  our  first  chapter,  found  Kimberley  in  a 
high  state  of  excitement. 

Every  man  looked  at  his  neighbor  with  a 
face  like  an  interrogation  point,  as  if  to  ask, 
"Who  next?" 

The  diamond  market  was  crowded  with 
men,  gathered  in  groups,  earnestly  discus 
sing  the  expose,  and  the  fatal  denouement. 

No  one  had  stood  higher  in  the  esteem  of 
the  people  than  Count  Telfus. 

Among  the  first  to  engage  in  the  diamond 
trade  in  Kimberley,  he  had  enjoyed  the  con 
fidence  of  his  associates,  and,  up  to  the  day 
of  his  arrest,  no  breath  of  suspicion  had 
dimmed  the  lustre  of  his  name.  It  was  evi 
dent  that  the  numerous  thefts  of  precious 
stones  by  the  Kafirs  had  aroused  the  author- 


24  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

ities  to  their  highest  endeavor,  and  no  one 
knew  on  whom  the  next  bolt  of  discovery 
might  fall. 

With  Telfus  guilty,  whose  name  might 
not  be  found  on  the  list  of  I.  D.  B.'s  ? 

There  were  few  among  those  engaged  in 
this  unlawful  trade  whose  minds  were  free 
from  anxiety,  for  even  the  guiltless  might 
find  his  name  in  the  Dooms-day  book  as 
among  the  suspected.  When  Donald  reach 
ed  home  that  evening  he  found  Dainty  anx 
iously  awaiting  his  return.  The  excitement 
caused  by  the  arrest  and  death  of  Count 
Telfus  had  reached  every  class,  and  the  un 
usual  stir  among  the  domestics  had  filled 
her  mind  with  dire  apprehensions.  She  im 
mediately  inquired  if  there  were  any  further 
developments. 

"  The  town  is  greatly  excited.  Dr.  Fox 
has  written  to  the  Count's  family  in  Paris, 
that  the  Count  was  accidentally  killed,  but 
carefully  avoided  any  mention  of  the  true 
cause  of  his  death.  Poor  Telfus  ! " 

Dainty  sighed,  for  the  Count  had  been  a 
frequent  visitor,  and  his  face  always  brought 
sunshine  into  the  house. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  25 

"  Do  you  think  he  was  guilty  ?" 

"Rumor  says  the  police  sold  a  marked 
diamond  to  a  Kafir  for  a  song,  and  then 
watched  him.  By  some  strange  fatality  it 
fell  into  Telfus'  hands." 

He  paused,  and  looking  into  her  eyes, 
asked : 

"What  would  you  do,  if  some  great 
trouble  should  come  to  you  ? " 

"Trouble?  Surely  no  danger  threatens 
us,  Donald.  You  alarm  me,  what  harm  can 
come  to  us  ?  " 

He  was  about  to  speak,  but  checked  him 
self,  and  turning  on  his  heel,  hastily  left  the 
room. 

Donald  was  naturally  of  a  buoyant  dis 
position,  and  extremely  popular  in  busi 
ness  and  social  circles  :  but  of  late  he  had 
grown  moody  and  taciturn,  and  there  was  a 
marked  change  in  his  demeanor  toward 
Dainty. 

She  believed  that  her  husband  adored  her, 
and  if  his  preoccupied  and  distracted  man 
ner  sometimes  raised  a  query  in  her  mind, 
it  was  too  short-lived  to  warrant  any  serious 
thought,  and  she  quickly  banished  it.  She 


26  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

was  fond  of  her  husband  in  a  childlike,  coo 
ing  way,  and  it  was  her  delight  to  wind  her 
arms  about  his  neck,  and,  with  a  gentle 
twittering  sound,  like  a  dove  caressing  its 
mate,  ask  the  question  that  every  woman 
asks  (who  is  sure  of  the  answer):  "  Do  you 
love  me?" — and  wait  to  hear  the  low,  re 
sponsive  sigh,  or  receive  a  fond  embrace. 
This  unusual  question  of  Donald's  alarmed 
her,  and  she  stole  softly  into  the  adjoining 
room  where  she  found  Donald  nervously 
pacing  the  floor. 

His  face  was  pale  and  his  eyes  glistened 
with  a  hunted  expression.  Laying  her  hand 
on  his  arm,  she  said  : 

"  What  is  it  that  worries  you,  Donald  ?" 

He  started  and  stammered  : 

"Nothing — except  a  little  business  annoy 
ance." 

She  saw  a  letter  in  his  hand,  bearing  a 
foreign  postmark,  and  gave  it  a  questioning 
glance,  to  which  he  replied  : 

"  A  letter  I  have  received  from  Amster 
dam.  There  is  a  heavy  decline  in  the  dia 
mond  market." 

"  Don't  worry  about  that  ;  you  have  now 


28  An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

more  than  enough  of  this  world's  goods  to 
take  care  of  yourself  and  your  little  wife  as 
long  as  you  live,"  said  Dainty,  as  she  laugh 
ingly  rubbed  her  cheek  on  his  arm  with  an 
action  suggestive  of  a  purring  kitten.  With 
out  looking  up,  she  continued  : 

"  Why  don't  you  take  me  to  England  ? " 

He  shut  his  eyes,  and  bit  his  lips,  but 
oblivious  to  his  emotion  she  went  on. 

"  You  have  so  often  promised,  and  I  so 
want  a  change.  I  long  to  visit  the  land  you 
have  told  me  of." 

"  Some  day,  my  dear,  you  will  see  that 
great  country  of  mine,  but  not  just  now," 
rejoined  Donald,  gently. 

"  Ah,  Donald,  why  do  you  always  feed  my 
curiosity  with  the  shadow  of  promises  ? " 

Donald  watched  her  with  an  idolatrous 
look  until  she  passed  from  the  room,  and 
then  with  a  groan  sank  into  a  chair,  and 
buried  his  face  in  his  hands.  For  a  mo 
ment  he  sat  in  silence,  then  re-opened  the 
letter.  It  was  dated  "London"  and  the 
passage  in  it  that  he  had  read  and  re-read, 
was  this  : 

"The  person  you  inquire  about  is  in  the 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  29 

city,  and  has  learned — I  know  not  how — 
that  you  are  in  South  Africa,  and  is  deter 
mined  to  hunt  you  down." 

Striking  a  match,  he  set  fire  to  the  letter, 
and  watched  it  slowly  burn,  and  crisply 
curl  in  his  fingers.  He  then  threw  it  on  the 
floor,  and  crushed  it  with  his  foot,  with  the 
unspoken  wish  that  this  act  could  blot  out 
its  menace  from  his  memory. 

Growing  calmer  he  arose,  and  passing  his 
hand  over  his  face  as  if  putting  on  a  mask, 
went  out  of  the  room  to  join  his  wife  at  din 
ner. 

The  dinner  was  served  by  a  black  dwarf 
named  Bela,  who  in  his  fantastic  propor 
tions  resembled  a  heathen  idol  in  bronze. 

After  they  had  eaten  sometime  in  silence, 
Dainty  asked. 

"Are  you  going  out  this  evening  ?" 

"  I  must  go  to  the  club,  but  I  will  return 
early." 

"  I  am  often  lonely,  Donald,  when  I  am 
left  with  only  my  thoughts  for  company," 
said  Dainty,  somewhat  mournfully. 

"  You  must  be  lonely  sometimes,"  replied 
Donald.  "  Let  us  try  a  small  diversion. 


30  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Why  not  invite  in  a  few  friends  for  an  even 
ing  ?  Make  out  your  list,  and  send  the  in 
vitations  to-morrow.  Don't  get  the  blues 
while  I  am  away,"  and  kissing  her,  he  hur 
ried  into  the  street. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Impressions. 

THERE  are  women  who  have  no  power  of 
attraction  until  you  meet  them  in  their 
homes,  surrounded  by  evidences  of  an  indi 
viduality  which  belies  your  first  impression. 
Then  for  the  first  time  you  discover  new 
traits  of  character,  and  evidences  of  thought 
that  fascinate  and  hold  you  ;  then  for  the 
first  time  they  surprise  and  delight  you 
with  their  real  selves. 

Again,  there  are  those  who  shine  abroad, 
but  darken  their  homes.  In  the  chilling  at 
mosphere  surrounding  them,  no  life  can 
expand.  These  women  are  dwarfed  souls. 
Affecting  the  semblance,  they  know  not  the 
real.  The  lifeless  imitation  of  their  sur 
roundings  betrays  them,  and  chills  the  sen 
sibilities  of  their  guests. 

The  wife  of  Donald  Laure,  was  a  woman 


32  An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

whose  surroundings  seemed  a.  part  of  her 
self — a  bright,  light  creature,  glorifying  the 
materialities  about  her  with  a  certain  ra 
diance,  and  none  could  enter  her  home 
without  feeling  the  charm  that  pervaded  it. 
With  her  warm  heart  and  generous  impulses 
she  seemed  born  but  to  make  beholders 
happy. 

She  was,  as  yet,  unconscious  of  the  pow 
ers  that  lay  dormant  in  her  ;  under  her 
child-like  exterior  was  a  soul  of  which 
even  her  husband  knew  nothing.  All  her 
knowledge  of  the  world  was  like  the  knowl 
edge  of  a  maiden,  far  from  its  busy  actuali 
ties. 

She  mused  upon  its  wonders  as  they  were 
presented  to  her  mind  by  her  husband,  but 
he  would  have  been  amazed  at  the  pano 
rama  of  her  thoughts. 

Greater  amazement  would  have  been  his, 
had  he  known  the  strange  truth  of  which 
she  herself  was  entirely  oblivious,  that  the 
great  pulsating  power  of  Love  had  not  yet 
inspired  her.  To  be  loved,  caressed,  cared 
for,  had  so  far  made  her  content.  But,  born 
of  the  English  soldier  and  the  daughter  of 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  33 

a  savage  warrior,  there  slumbered  in  her 
soul  a  possibility  of  passion  that  needed 
only  to  be  roused  to  burst  into  flame. 

The  life  of  excitement  that  society  offers, 
brings  little  contentment  to  a  woman  with 
Dainty's  nature.  She  only  beats  the  bars 
raised  by  its  cold,  format  laws,  and  suffi 
cient  unto  herself,  living  a  life  within  that 
soothes,  she  becomes  a  fascinating  siren  to 
the  energetic  nineteenth  century  man,  who 
comes  with  his  beliefs  in  materialism,  and 
his  doubts  of  any  goodness  that  he  cannot 
prove. 

Such  a  woman  is  to  him  a  creature  to  be 
tested  by  his  methods,  and  broken  on  the 
wheels  of  his  unfeeling  Juggernaut  of  sel 
fishness  and  animalism. 

Being  a  delightfully  untutored,  trusting 
soul,  she  is  not  looking  for  this  monster 
evil — self,  that  he  has  raised  up  and  wor 
ships.  At  first  attracted  to  him  by  a  warmth 
of  manner  which  has  every  appearance  of 
generosity,  she  at  last  becomes  interested 
in  him  so  deeply,  that  the  winning  of  her 
perfect  trust,  her  whole  heart,  is  an  easy 
pastime,  undertaken  at  seemingly  acciden- 
3 


34  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa 

tal  moments,  but  in  reality  pursued  as  steps 
in  a  long  and  carefully  laid  plan. 

The  evening  set  apart  for  receiving  the 
"few  friends  "  was  a  memorable  one. 

Herr  Schwatka,  accompanied  by  Major 
Kildare,  was  the  first  to  arrive.  Herr 
Schwatka  was  a  tall,  fair-haired  Austrian, 
of  distinguished  appearance,  and  engaging 
manners.  He  was  a  cool-headed,  strong- 
willed  materialist,  to  whom  human  nature 
was  a  congenial  study,  who  never  allowed 
anything  to  thwart  his  purpose,  and  whose 
spirit  of  determination  dominated  most  of 
those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  To 
him,  women  had  been  but  playthings  ;  he 
laughed  at  such  an  idea  as  the  grand  pas 
sion — a  figment  of  the  brain  for  the  mis 
leading  of  boys  ! 

As  the  two  men  entered  the  salon,  Kil 
dare,  with  all  his  English  coolness,  started 
with  surprise  at  the  beauty  of  his  surround 
ings.  Accustomed  to  the  society  which  his 
rank  as  an  officer  in  the  British  army  gave 
him,  he  had  seen  much  that  was  rich  and  al 
luring  in  many  countries  ;  but  here,  in  an  Af 
rican  desert,  many  hundred  miles  from  the 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


35 


sea,  to  find  such  taste  and 
elegance  displayed,  was  to 
him  surprising. 
The  crimson  and  gold  hang 
ings  reflected  from 
mirrors  in  the  opal 


light, 

made  a 

fitting  background 

to  a  picture,  in  which  stood  as  its  central 

figure,    the    Oueen   of   this    home,    Dainty 

Laure — a  highly  gifted  woman,  possessing 


36  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

that  rarest  of  all  gifts,  perfect  naturalness. 
Donald,  standing  by  her  side,  presented  the 
two  gentlemen. 

Had  she  been  the  daughter  of  a  duke, 
she  could  not  have  done  the  honors  with 
more  grace. 

The  European  in  Africa  has  a  deep-seated 
antipathy  to  the  faintest  trace  of  mixed 
blood.  Yet,  as  Herr  Schwatka  bowed  to 
Mrs.  Laure  in  his  elegant  \vay,  he  was  con 
scious  of  receiving  a  pleasant  impression 
entirely  new  to  him. 

As  for  Major  Kildare,  he  was  altogether 
charmed  with  her,  and  speedily  opened 
conversation  with  the  common-place  ques 
tion  : 

"  Mrs.  Laure,  how  do  you  amuse  yourself 
in  this  dusty  town  of  Kimberley?" 

"  I  do  not  amuse  myself,  but  let  what  I 
see  amuse  me,"  replied  Dainty.  "  My 
horses  and  my  dogs  are  company  ;  every 
thing  that  is  beautiful  pleases  me  ;  I  make 
friends  of  the  pleasant  people  I  meet,  and 
avoid  the  unhappy  ones  who  carry  their 
woes  pictured  on  their  faces." 

"  But  what  do  you  do  for  a  confidential 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  37 

friend  ?  Woman  must  have  them,  you 
know,  and  you  hardly  find  any  congenial 
woman  here  ! " 

"You  forget  Kate  Darcy,"  replies  Dainty. 
"  She  is  a  being  to  admire.  I  look  at  no 
one  else  when  Kate  is  by." 

"  Would  it  be  wrong  to  be  glad  she  is  not 
here  then  ?"  said  the  major,  gallantly. 

"I  think  you  will  be  pleased  to  meet  her, 
you  cannot  fail  to  admire  her,"  answered 
Dainty.  "She  is  not  like  me." 

Herr  Schwatka  smiled  at  the  last  asser 
tion. 

"  Do  you  expect  us  to  admire  her  when 
she  is  not  like  you  ?" 

Dainty  looked  at  the  Austrian  with  a  lit 
tle  deprecatory  smile,  as  she  said  :  "  You 
will  admire  her  for  what  she  is,  rather  than 
what  she  is  not." 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  hear  a  woman  praise  a 
woman,"  said  Herr  Schwatka.  "All  women 
do  it  sometimes,  for  they  all  must  have 
some  intimate  whom  they  can  love,  caress, 
and  lavish  themselves  upon." 

"Yes,"  said  Dainty,  "that  may  be  true, 
but  Kate  is  not  the  stvle  of  woman  vou  im- 


38  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa 

agine.  She  is  strong  and  noble,  though 
gentle  withal — wait  till  you  meet  her." 

Herr  Schwatka  felt  a  warm  thrill  at  the 
enthusiasm  and  loyalty  of  the  heart  that 
loved  its  friends  so  wholly. 

"  It  were  well  to  gain  you  for  a  friend," 
he  said. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Kate. 

THE  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the 
arrival  of  Miss  Kate  Darcy,  and  Doctor 
Fox.  They  were  a  very  handsome  couple, 
at  least  so  thought  Major  Kildare,  for  turn 
ing  to  Mrs.  Laure  he  said  : 

"  I  believe  ail  you  have  said  of  your  friend 
is  true,  and  without  the  slightest  exaggera 
tion." 

As  the  guests  continued  to  arrive,  Dainty 
appeared  radiantly  happy.  At  a  request 
for  some  music,  Miss  Darcy  moved  toward 
the  piano. 

"  What  shall  I  sing  for  you  ?  " 

"Make  your  own  selection  and  that  will 
be  your  best,"  said  Dainty,  as  she  reclined 
in  the  depths  of  a  chair,  prepared  to  be 
captivated.  Herr  Schwatka  took  a  seat  at 
her  side.  Kate  touched  the  keys  caress- 


40  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

ingly  for  some  minutes,  striking  a  few 
chords  here  and  there,  with  a  little  running 
accompaniment  between,  which  expressed 
her  indecision  of  selection,  until  finally 
striking  a  decided  chord,  she  began,  in  a 
perfectly  modulated  voice,  to  sing  that 
recitative  and  aria  by  Handel,  commencing 
"  Lascia  ch'  io  pianga,"  incomparable  for  op 
portunity  of  expression,  and  for  revealing 
the  artistic  sense  of  the  singer.  Sinking 
from  the  triumphant  strains  into  a  soft 
pleading  accent,  she  sang  the  three  stanzas 
with  a  pathos  that  moved  her  auditors  to 
the  depths  of  their  natures. 

As  she  arose  from  the  piano,  there  was  a 
murmur  of  regret. 

"  Don't  rise,  Miss  Darcy,"  said  Dainty, 
pleadingly.  "Just  think  how  hungry  ap 
preciative  South  Africans  are  for  good  mu 
sic.  We  have  never  heard  such  singing 
here  before.  Please  give  us  another  selec 
tion." 

Kate  never  indulged  in  affectations  of  re 
luctance,  so  resuming  her  seat,  she  sang  a 
plaintive  old  negro  melody  from  the  planta 
tions  of  American  slavery,  the  only  original 


An  I.  D.  £.  in  South  Africa.  41 


music, 

some  one 

has  said,  of  which 

Americans   can  Jfe**     7 

boast.  ¥  * 

Kate's  face  was  singularly  at 
tractive.     Her  eyes,  inherited  from  an  Irish 
mother,  were  dark  blue  shaded  by  black  eye 
lashes.     One  might  criticise  her  features,  for 


42  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

they  were  not  perfect,  and  might  examine 
her  dimpled  face  and  say  it  was  not  pretty, 
yet  it  was  so  expressive,  that  a  stranger  on 
being  introduced  to  her,  when  she  was  in  a 
happy  mood,  would  be  fascinated,  and  think 
her  altogether  charming. 

Major  Kildare  was  attracted  to  Kate  and 
completely  captivated,  when  he  learned  in 
the  course  of  conversation  that  they  had 
mutual  friends  in  his  far  away  home,  in 
rnerrie  England.  But  he  was  not  privileged 
to  monopolize  Miss  Darcy,  for  others 
pressed  around  her,  and  Doctor  Fox  stood 
ever  in  the  background,  perhaps  discussing 
some  mining  operation  in  the  intricacies  of 
which  he  was  well  versed,  but  never  far 
from  the  sound  of  her  voice.  Having  specu 
lated  in  the  gold  and  silver  mines  of  Cali 
fornia  and  Colorado,  and  being  possessed 
of  that  sixth  sense  with  which  Americans 
are  accredited,  and  which  being  evolved 
becomes,  in  a  few,  the  gift  of  invention, 
Doctor  Fox  had  won,  by  his  knowledge 
of  mining  and  his  improvements  in 
mining  machinery,  the  favorable  opinions 
of  the  officers  of  the  Diamond  Mining 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  43 

Company  in  which  he  was  a  heavy  stock 
holder. 

"  Herr  Scliwatka,"  said  Donald,  "  have 
you  been  down  in  the  mine  by  the  new 
shaft?  It  is  now  completed,  and  the  cage 
is  in  perfect  operation." 

"  I  went  down  yesterday,"  replied  Schwat- 
ka,  "and  I  found  it  a  wonder  of  mining  en 
terprise.  The  ladies  should  visit  it.  Would 
you  not  like  to  go,  Mrs.  Laure,  and  you, 
Miss  Darcy  ?" 

"We  would  be  delighted;  I  will  answer 
for  both,"  said  Kate,  smilingly. 

This  evening  was  the  beginning  of  a  new 
era  in  the  lives  of  these  two  women,  who  had 
felt  singularly  drawn  to  each  other.  Dainty 
realized  that  she  gathered  forces  new  to  her 
from  Kate,  while  the  latter  was  fascinated  by 
this  beautiful  wildling.  who  knew  nothing  of 
the  great  world,  which  the  other  had  but  re 
cently  left  behind  her. 

As  Major  Kildare  left  the  house  that  even 
ing  with  Herr  Schwatka,  he  enthusiastically 
remarked  : 

"  By  Jove  !  that  Miss  Darcy  is  a  fine  wo 
man  !" 


44  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Herr  Schwatka  took  a  pull  at  his  cigar, 
and  dreamily  watched  the  rings  in  the  bright 
moonlight  as  they  slowly  curled  up  into  the 
still  air.  At  last  he  said  : 

"She  is,  indeed,  but  I  feel  a  little  afraid 
of  those  fair  '  A mericaines ! '  I  can't  keep 
pace  with  them.  I  met  one  in  Vienna  dur 
ing  the  Exposition,  and  she  was  a  revela 
tion.  Such  a  sight-seer  !  Her  mother  was 
with  her,  but  she  could  do  very  well  without 
her.  If  she  wanted  to  go  out  of  an  evening, 
and  her  mother  was  tired  from  her  day's 
peregrinations,  that  girl  would  say  :  *  Go  to 
bed,  mamma  ;  we  are  going  to  the  opera  ?' 
or  whatever  it  might  be.  And  off  we  would 
go,  without  protest  from  the  submissive 
mamma.  It  was  some  while  before  I  could 
comprehend  her  ;  her  ways  were  so  differ 
ent  from  those  of  my  own  countrywomen. 
One  evening  while  we  were  driving  to  a  fete, 
emboldened  by  her  unreserved  manner,  I 
attempted  a  little  lover-like  caress.  You 
should  have  seen  the  American  then!  She 
sat  as  straight  as  a  needle,  and  was  equally 
sharp.  '  You  and  I  are  friends,  aren't  we  ?' 
she  asked. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  45 

"  *  Doubtless,'  I  replied. 

"  *  Well,'  said  she,  '  if  you  wish  us  to  con 
tinue  as  such,  don't  attempt  to  ditto  that. 
I  have  come  to  see  Europe,  and  I  haven't 
much  time  to  spare.  If  we  commence  to 
make  love,  I  won't  see  anything  but  you, 
and  as  there  is  not  the  slightest  possibility 
of  your  being  the  whole  of  Europe  to  me, 
if  you  will  just  be  my  comrade,  I  shall  like 
it  better.' 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  satisfied  expres 
sion  that  stole  over  her  face,  as  she  folded 
her  hands,  and  looked  straight  ahead  with 
a  gleam  in  her  eyes,  and  then  turned  the 
conversation  in  the  easiest  manner  imagina 
ble.  It  amused  me  immensely,  but  I  didn't 
repeat  the  little  indiscretion,  and  the  few 
weeks  she  remained  in  Vienna  were  among 
the  most  delightful  ones  of  my  life.  We 
were  comrades,  and  I  never  understood  till 
then  how  a  woman  could  be  perfectly  free 
in  her  manners,  yet  perfectly  true  to  her 
womanhood." 

"  By  Jove !  Schwatka,  it  isn't  often  that  you 
find  your  match,"  said  the  major,  laughing 
heartily,as  they  entered  the  "Queen's  "  Hotel. 


46  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

That  night  the  picture  that  only  faded 
from  the  consciousness  of  Ilerr  Schwatka, 
to  reappear  in  his  dreams,  was  that  of  a 
graceful  woman  —  the  wife  of  Donald 
Laure. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Story  of  a  Singer. 

WHAT  a  charming  creature  is  the  enthu 
siastic  talented  girl,  who  is  ever  trying  to 
solve  the  riddle  of  life  with  a  girl's  avidity. 
How  earnestly  she  follows  the  light  on  her 
pathway!  Sometimes  deluded,  but  always 
in  earnest  ;  even  leaving  the  old  roof-tree 
in  the  search  for  satisfaction,  often  return 
ing  to  it,  weary  and  travel-stained,  content 
to  have  one  little  corner  by  the  home  fire 
side,  where  she  finds  more  happiness  and 
rest  in  a  day,  than  in  her  years  of  wander 
ing  and  chasing  butterflies. 

It  is  the  clear-eyed,  far-seeing  girl,  with 
a  singing  voice,  that  can  thrill  the  hearts  of 
her  hearers,  in  whom  we  are  now  interested. 

What  a  book  could  be  written  on  the 
broken  lives,  the  vanished  hopes,  and  the 
lost  voices,  of  American  girls  in  Europe  ! 

There,    where    the    life    is    alluring,   and 


48  An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

maestros  paid  in  gold  ;  where  Americans 
are  looked  upon  as  common  prey  by  the 
Parisian  shop-keeper,  the  student  finds  that 
Art  is  long,  and  not  only  time,  but  gold  is 
fleeting. 

There,  many  an  enthusiastic  girl  possessed 
of  ordinary  talent,  and  led  away  by  vanity 
and  the  flattery  of  over-zealous  friends,  is 
found  living  in  a  feverish  belief  in  her  ulti 
mate  success,  and  looking  to  her  teacher  to 
promote  her  interests. 

He  is  more  often  but  a  shark,  ready  to 
devour  her,  body  and  soul.  For  he  panders 
to  her  belief  in  his  charlatanry,  and  flatters 
her  vanity,  until  the  money  is  nearly  gone. 
Not  until  then  does  she  realize  that  no  one 
but  herself  has  been  deceived. 

Her  pride  comes  to  her  rescue,  and  with 
her  voice  still  undeveloped,  she  rushes 
hither  and  thither  in  her  frantic  endeavors 
to  secure  the  position  she  desires. 

Friendless,  moneyless,  and  alone  :  what 
can  she  do  ? 

A  singer's  life  is  emphatically  a  mixture 
of  fulfilled  hopes  and  bitter  disappoint 
ments. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  49 

A  famous  teacher  in  Paris  says  to  his 
pupils  : 

"  Before  starting  out  on  your  career, 
make  for  yourself  two  pockets  ;  one  very 
large,  and  the  other  exceedingly  small  ;  the 
large  one  for  the  snubs,  and  the  small  one 
for  the  money." 

Talent  is  one  thing,  but  management  is 
another,  and  without  the  latter,  talent  goes 
begging.  Art  may  become  a  classic  in  the 
hands  of  talent,  but  the  singer  must  depend 
largely  upon  the  manager  (often  ungram- 
matical  of  speech,  and  arbitrary  of  manner), 
if  she  would  know  practical  success  and  be 
known  of  the  world.  Kate  Darcy  had  both 
tact  and  talent,  and  the  gift  of  knowing 
how  to  use  them. 

Her  childhood  was  passed  in  the  atmos 
phere  of  the  theatrical  world  in  New  York 
City,  where  her  father  was  a  violinist,  and 
earned  his  bread  by  the  sweep  of  his  bow. 

When  yet  a  child,  she  developed  great 
musical  talent,  and  possessed  that  rarest 
and  most  delightful  of  all  voices,  a  rich 
contralto. 

At    fifteen  the  child   was  a  rising  artist, 

4 


50  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

studying  day  and  night,  until,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  being  graceful  and  well  de 
veloped,  she  became  a  leading  contralto 
of  an  English  Opera  Company.  Her  voice 
grew  in  strength  and  richness,  and  with  the 
growth  of  the  voice  came  ambition  to  study 
under  the  best  masters.  That  will-o'-the- 
wisp  of  art  drew  her  on  to  Italy,  to  pre 
pare  herself  to  enter  the  lists  of  fame  and 
win  a  high  niche  in  the  temple  of  song. 

She  felt  that  she  could  conquer  anything. 
She  believed  in  herself — a  very  necessary  re 
quisite  for  youth,  when  talented  and  ambi 
tious.  There  were  no  "  perhaps's  "  or  "  might 
be's"  crystallized  in  the  amber  of  her  belief. 
She  was  vividly  conscious  that  she  possessed 
the  great  gift  of  a  rare  voice,  and  did  not 
doubt  that  somewhere  in  the  world  it  would 
be  appreciated,  and  made  to  yield  the 
wealth  which  Love  always  wants,  in  order 
to  bestow  gifts  and  comforts  on  its  beloved. 

On  her  last  appearance  on  the  concert 
platform  in  her  native  city,  previous  to  her 
departure  for  Italy,  she  bore  herself  with 
such  unaffected  simplicity,  and  seemed  so 
earnest  in  her  efforts,  that  everyone  felt 


An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa,  5 1 

like  breathing  a  benediction  for  her  future 
success  ;  they  realized  that  the  goal  she 
aimed  at  was  only  to  be  reached  by  years 
of  labor,  and  by  the  patient  pursuit  of  op 
portunities. 

She  sang  several  numbers,  but  nothing 
half  so  beautiful  as  the  low,  entreating 
tones  in  which  she  breathed  out  "  Kathleen 
Mavourneen."  As  the  words  rolled  out, 
"It  may  be  for  years,  and  it  may  be  for 
ever,"  many  an  eye  filled  with  tears  at  the 
tender  pathos  in  which  she  veiled  the  un 
certainties  of  the  future. 

Kate  went  to  Italy  with  her  mother  (who 
had  become  a  widow),  and  studied  under 
the  direction  of  the  great  maestro,  Lam- 
perti.  She  had  but  few  faults  to  over 
come,  but  she  applied  herself  unceasingly. 
The  voice  is  a  jealous  mistress,  and  stands 
guard  over  every  thought  and  action,  de 
manding  high  recompense  from  the  being 
who  possesses  the  power  to  soothe  or  thrill 
a  soul  in  darkness.  Any  letting  down  the 
bars  of  stern  discipline  of  the  intellect,  finds 
that  vigilant  sentinel  inquiring  the  cause. 

The  ear  of  the  lover  becomes  aware  that 


52  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

the  divine  voice  has  lost  its  love  tones ; 
those  pure  heaven-born  messages  come  to 
him  with  a  harsher  sound.  Then  when  the 
singer's  thoughts  have  drifted  into  some 
dark  miasma,  the  sensitive  instrument  can 
not  attune  itself  in  those  dreamy  poisonous 
vapors,  and  the  delicate  string  loses  its  per 
fect  harmony.  The  lover  again  wonders 
what  powers  of  earth  or  air  have  taken 
possession  of  that  erstwhile  melodious  in 
strument,  now,  "  like  sweet  bells  jangled 
and  out  of  tune." 

Thus  it  is  if,  from  looking  and  listening, 
with  hearing  keen  and  heart  responsive,  the 
eyes  of  the  soul  ever  upward  turned  for  in 
spiration  (the  only  attitude  that  makes  the 
spirit  by  and  by  victorious),  she  ceases  for  a 
moment,  and,  hearing  the  jingling  of  false 
bells,  looks  below  ;  she  sees  the  reflection  of 
the  sun  on  some  tinsel-robed,  fair,  but  de 
luded  sister,  and  is  attracted  to  her.  The 
delights  of  dissipation  in  the  society  of 
thoughtless,  undedicated  companions  allure 
her  from  the  path  where  gleams  the  pure, 
white  light  of  art.  As  she  turns,  thinking 
to  live  only  for  a  little  hour  with  her  com- 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  53 

panions,  the  gates  of  the  lighted  realm, 
where  few  enter,  close  behind  her..  When 
she  has  wandered  through  the  pleasures, 
which  prove  to  be  but  the  shadows  of 
reality,  the  temple  of  that  beautifuily-tuned 
and  soul-inspiring  instrument  is  a  wreck, 
and  the  angel-voice  fled.  Such  is  the  result 
of  neglecting  that  exacting  sovereign,  the 
goddess  of  music. 

She  demands  the  consecration  of  the 
whole  self,  in  return  for  the  prize  she  of 
fers.  And  none  realized  it  better  than  Kate. 
So  she  gained  the  excellence  of  real  attain 
ment. 

After  a  brilliant  career  of  seven  years,  she 
wearied  of  incessant  travel,  and  longed  to 
make  her  home  in  some  quiet  corner,  away 
from  the  sound  and  whirl  of  the  great  busy 
world,  and  yet  near  enough  to  its  heart 
beats  to  feel  the  pulsation.  She  found  such 
a  spot  near  London,  where  she  took  her  old 
mother,  for  whom  she  had  an  idolatrous 
love,  and  where  she  hoped  to  enjoy  her  life 
in  semi-seclusion  for  a  season.  She  fur 
nished  her  gem  of  a  house  with  rare  taste,  and 
filled  it  with  souvenirs  of  the  world  she  had 


54 


An  1.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa, 


conquered.     There  her  mother  fell  ill,  and 
demanded,  in   her   nervous,   irritable  state, 

in  which  she 
would  allow 
m  the  service 


of  no  other  nurse, 
constant  care  from 
Kate. 

Often  when  Kate  returned  home  late  at 
night  from  some  concert  where  she  had 
been  the  idol  of  the  hour,  she  would  sit  and 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  55 

hold  her  mother  in  her  arms  until  the  cold 
night  air  had  chilled  her  to  the  very  bone, 
for  the  invalid  could  not  endure  a  fire  in  the 
room.  No  murmur  fell  from  Kate's  lips, 
and  when  the  dear  sufferer  succumbed  to 
the  disease  and  passed  quietly  away,  her 
grief  was  overwhelming. 

But  joy  trod  on  the  heel  of  sorrow.  A 
presence  had  come  into  her  life  which  grew 
to  be  a  part  of  it. 

He  was  one  whom  everybody  admired  ; 
a  man  of  culture  and  refinement,  an  able 
musical  critic  and  no  mean  musician. 

He  had  won  her  heart,  and  they  were 
soon  to  plight  their  vows  at  the  marriage 
altar.  Some  weeks  after  her  mother's  death, 
he  departed  one  morning  for  Paris,  with  her 
kiss  on  his  lips.  In  a  few  hours  came  the 
news  that  a  channel  steamer  had  collided 
and  gone  down  with  all  on  board.  Her 
lover  was  among  them  ! 

In  a  week's  time  she  had  left  London  for 
the  Continent  ;  six  months  later,  she  was 
seen  again  in  the  gay  world  of  Paris  :  but 
her  face  was  white  and  wan,  and  her  spirit 
broken. 


56  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Her  musical  studies  were  kept  up,  but  her 
heart  was  not  in  her  work  ;  and  when  one 
night  she  appeared  at  the  Theatre  des  Ital- 
iens,  and  received  an  ovation,  she  broke 
down  at  the  end  of  the  phrase,  with  stage 
fright.  Without  ambition  to  rise  above  this 
misfortune,  she  left  the  stage,  her  career 
ended. 

A  few  weeks  later,  impelled  by  a  craving 
for  new  sights  and  surroundings,  and  a  de 
sire  for  rest  far  from  the  scenes  of  her  tri 
umphs  and  disasters,  she  arrived  in  Africa. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 
Horses  and  Riders. 

DONALD  LAURE  grew  more  and  more  mo 
rose  ;  some  grief  was  silently  preying  on  his 
mind.  He  could  not  sleep,  and  often 
walked  the  floor  of  his  room  during  the 
weary  hours  of  the  night. 

He  became  at  last  so  restless  that  he 
sought  the  society  of  a  nature  stronger  than 
his  own.  This  society  he  found  in  the  com 
pany  of  Schwatka,  who  was  now  a  daily  vis 
itor  at  the  house. 

Dainty  observed  his  altered  appearance, 
but  was  unable  to  fathom  its  cause. 

As  his  manner  grew  more  and  more  re 
strained  toward  her,  she  unconsciously 
turned  to  Schwatka,  whose  equable  temper 
ament  seemed  to  invite  her  confidence  and 
her  friendship. 

Gradually  the  Austrian  made  himself  a 


58  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

necessary  factor  in  the  lives  of  both  husband 
and  wife,  and  he  was  her  constant  attendant 
in  her  rides  and  drives  over  the  veldt. 

All  this  time  Dainty  was  only  conscious 
that  his  presence  made  her  supremely 
happy.  He  was  always  thoughtful  of  her 
welfare,  always  doing  little  acts  of  kind 
ness,  which,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life, 
were  spontaneous. 

She  was  a  refreshing  rest  to  his  blase, 
worldly  nature.  When  a  man  who  has  be 
come  selfish,  and  therefore  cruel,  in  satisfy 
ing  his  own  vanity,  and  pandering  to  his 
own  appetites,  meets  with  a  fresh,  guileless 
soul  like  Dainty's,  he  is  at  once  enthralled, 
and,  whether  he  admits  it  even  to  himself, 
sets  about  winning  a  new  toy. 

Herr  Schwatka's  new  delight  was  a  con 
stant  surprise  to  him  ;  arid  as  he  drew  out 
forces  in  her  nature,  of  whose  latent  exist 
ence  he  had  been  ignorant,  she  more  and 
more  revealed  charming  little  traits  of  char 
acter,  which  had  been  hidden  from  Donald. 

She  loved  to  ride,  and  heretofore  Donald 
had  always  gladly  accompanied  her  in  these 
equestrian  pleasures.  But  as  solitude 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


59 


wrapped 
h  i  m      11  p 
more    and 
more,  Schwat- 
ka     began    to 
take  the  place  at 
her    side.     As 
soon  as  the  out 
skirts  of  the  town 


60  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

were  reached,  she  would  give  rein  to  her 
horse,  and  together  they  would  speed  over 
the  veldt.  The  color  came  to  her  cheeks, 
and  a  sparkle  to  her  eye,  which  made  her 
look  like  an  houri  in  the  rosy  morn. 

Kate  Darcy's  early  morning  ride  was  also 
her  chief  delight.  Seated  on  her  horse 
"  Beauty,"  she  would  leave  the  camp  locked 
in  slumber,  and  scamper  across  the  barren 
waste  of  country,  to  greet  the  first  rays  of 
the  rising  sun.  Fearless  and  independent  in 
all  her  actions,  she  had  learned  to  rely  on 
her  own  judgment,  and  to  adapt  herself  to 
her  surroundings.  On  several  occasions 
she  had  seen  a  couple  of  equestrians  appear 
on  the  horizon  ;  and  as  the  outline  of  their 
forms  became  visible,  and  she  recognized 
Herr  Schwatka  and  Dainty,  with  a  word  her 
horse  would  shoot  away  in  an  opposite  di 
rection.  She  knew  human  nature,  and  per 
ceived  that  the  Austrian  was  gaining  a 
mental  ascendency  over  her  friend.  Was 
this  to  be  the  beginning  of  the  too-oft  re 
peated  story  of  mistaken  love  ?  If  so  she 
would  avoid  seeing  a  human  spider  weave 
his  web  at  that  beautiful  hour  of  the  day. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in.  South  Africa.  61 

So  she  would  shake  off  a  sensation  of  de 
pression,  and,  in  love  with  dear  old  Mother 
Nature,  free  as  air  she  would  bound  away, 
until  they  were  lost  to  view  ;  only  so  restored 
to  mental  quiet.  With  swift  and  graceful 
motions,  "  Beauty  "  flew  across  the  shrub- 
less  plain,  and  when  she  talked  to  him  ca 
ressingly,  he  would  shake  his  head  and  lift 
his  ears  with  as  much  expression  in  them 
as  in  a  coquette's  eyes,  and  dash  forward 
with  a  sense  of  untrammelled  delight. 

As  "Beauty"  leaped  ditches  and  hillocks, 
Kate  would  laugh  aloud  with  the  spirit  of 
freedom  which  filled  her  ;  that  spirit  which 
fills  the  air  of  old  Africa,  with  its  spiky 
topped  mountains  and  its  barbaric  ele 
ments,  which  exploration,  civilization,  and 
Christianity  have  not  conquered.  The 
sleeping  barbarian  within  wakens  more 
or  less  in  every  human  heart,  attuned  to 
nature,  when  in  Africa. 

At  times,  the  hollowness  and  baubles  of 
civilization,  with  its  art  and  science,  its 
looms,  wheels,  and  fiery  engines,  its  conven 
tionalities  and  restrictions,  contrasted  with 
the  sun-baths,  health,  and  ignorance  of  dis- 


62  Aii  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

ease,  in  the  Zulu  mind,  with  its  contented 
pastoral  existence,  its  adherence  to  the  laws 
of  morality,  virtue,  and  cleanliness,  suggests 
the  question  :  "What  is  gained  by  civiliza 
tion  ?  " 

On  his  arrival  in  England,  old  King  Cet- 
evvayo  innocently  asked  : 

"When  Queen  Victoria  has  all  this,  why 
does  she  want  my  poor  little  corner  of  the 
earth  ? " 

Herr  Schwatka  could  have  won  hearts  in 
his  Vienna  home,  as  food  for  his  vanity. 
Why  did  lie  want  to  mesmerize  this  little 
creature  ?  Why  must  he  bring  into  her  life 
the  gewgaws  of  civilization,  the  tales  of 
wonderful  cities  where  she  would  be  happy, 
and  shine  like  a  meteor  in  a  heaven  of  celes 
tial  beauties  ? 

Could  he,  with  his  mesmeric  mentality, 
which  would  at  times  rouse  her  to  such  a 
pitch  that  her  spirit  would  become  restless 
almost  to  agony,  could  he  offer  her  the 
tranquillity  of  a  life  which  would  fold  its 
wings  in  happy  security  from  hidden  ene 
mies,  and  lull  her  to  rest,  safe  from  the 
cruel  shafts  of  the  tongues  rooted  in  the 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  63 

mouths  of  those  hideous  moral  volcanoes 
who,  with  the  gusts  of  their  smiles  and 
flatteries,  would  overturn  and  wreck  her 
innocent  life  ? 

Men  sometimes  act  as  if  they  believed 
themselves  to  be  gods. 

Few  men  live  up  to  the  reflection  of  their 
real  selves.  Few  men  are  godlike  ;  there 
fore,  few  are  happy. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Poker  and  Philosophy. 

THERE  were  few  Americans  on  the  Fields, 
scarcely  a  score,  but  you  heard  from  each 
one  of  them,  as  an  individual,  and  soon 
learned  on  what  footing  you  must  meet 
him.  Were  he  a  gentleman  from  the 
"  States,"  if  you  had  not  heard  of  that  coun 
try,  he  had,  and  could  give  you  information 
about  it,  from  its  present  commander-in- 
chief  to  the  one  who  in  early  days  first  held 
aloft  the  screaming  eagle — that  invincible 
bird  ! — a  man  like  himself  in  one  particular 
— he  could  not  tell  a  lie.  That  is  to  say,  if 
you  dared  to  doubt  his  word,  you  could 
immediately  have  a  chance  to  choose  your 
weapons. 

He  was  celebrated  for  his  talent  in  form 
ing  stock  companies,  then  running  up  the 


An  I.  D  B.  in  South  Africa.  65 

price  of  shares  and  quietly  selling  out  ; 
after  which,  intimating  that  he  needed  a 
vacation,  he  would  return  to  the  States, 
leaving  the  bubble  to  burst  after  his  depart 
ure. 

Sometimes  he  was  known  as  a  physician 
who,  with  his  patent  medicines,  pretended 
to  successfully  combat  those  African  fevers 
which  English  flesh  is  heir  to  ;  or  a  surgeon 
of  skill,  with  instruments  acknowledged  to 
be  as  keen  as  Damascus  blades,  compared 
with  those  with  which  his  English  profes 
sional  brother  was  "handicapped." 

He  was  not  less  renowned  for  playing  a 
beautiful  hand  at  the  (so-called)  American 
national  game  of  Poker,  and  for  teaching 
some  highly  intellectual  emissary  of  Duke 
This  and  Lord  That,  who  had  come  out  to 
speculate  for  their  Serene  Highnesses,  how 
neatly  the  game  could  be  played,  provided 
they  took  a  few  lessons,  and  paid  well  for 
them. 

Among  the  few  Americans  on  the  Fields 
none  stood  higher  in  public   favor  than  the 
really  skilful  surgeon,  Dr.  Fox,  who  took  a 
deep  interest  in  all  public  matters. 
5 


66  An  I.  D.  .//.  ///  South  Africa. 

Dr.  Fox  was  sitting  in  his  office  puffing 
fit  his  briar-wood,  and  thinking  of — noth 
ing  ;  a  subject  which  he  made  it  a  point 
to  reflect  on  daily,  at  least  one  hour  of  his 
sixteen  waking  ones. 

He  had  knocked  around  the  world  a  good 
deal,  and  now,  among  people  from  every 
where,  was  "  settled  "  for  the  time  at  Kim- 
berley.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  was  no 
less  a  fact,  that  right,  here  amidst  the  most 
intense  excitement  of  an  easily  excited  pop 
ulation  he  had  suddenly  stumbled  across  a 
thought.  That  thought  was  not  to  think  : 
here  where  everybody  was  thinking  and 
thinking,  he  thought  of  the  thought — not 
to  think.  To  give  his  brain  a  rest,  he  stop 
ped  thinking  in  the  very  midst  of  a  deep 
thought.  Great  scheme  ! 

This  idea  came  to  him  something  in  this 
wise.  He  had  been  walking  until  he  be 
came  very  tired.  Wanting  to  rest,  and  not 
being  near  a  convenient  hotel,  or  at  home, 
or  in  any  place  where  he  could  go  to  bed. 
he  sat  down,  pulled  out  his  pipe,  lit  it,  and 
smoked.  As  he  smoked  he  thought  ;  he 
had  not  yet  learned  how  not  to  think. 


An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  67 

"My  body  rests  while  sitting:  I  do  not 
always  go  to  sleep  to  rest.  Why  not  sit 
down  for  an  hour,  and  think  of  nothing, 
and  rest  my  brain  by  vacancy,  instead  of 
sleep  ?" 

He  did  so.  While  resting  his  body  by 
keeping  still,  he  rested  his  brain  by  not 
thinking.  When  the  hour  expired  he  said 
to  himself  : 

"  To  think  constantly  on  one  subject,  will 
relax  our  hold  on  it.  Given  a  subject  we 
think  and  think  on  it,  until  all  the  grip  of 
the  brain  is  lost.  I'll  give  the  gray  matter 
a  rest." 

On  this  evening,  his  hour  for  meditating 
on  nothing  was  interrupted  by  a  visit  from 
Herr  Schwatka  and  Major  Kildare. 

"  Good  evening,  Doctor." 

"Good  evening,  gentlemen  ;  glad  to  see 
you.  Cool  night  this,  after  such  a  hot  day. 
These  African  nights  are  glorious.  Step  in 
side,"  and  the  doctor  led  the  way  to  his  pri 
vate  room.  "Now,  with  your  permission,  I 
will  mix  you  a  concoction,  the  secret  of 
which  I  learned  in  New  York  ;  'tis  a  nectar 
fit  for — men,"  and  turning  to  the  sideboard 


68  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

loaded  with  lemons,  spices,  and  cooling 
beverages,  lie  commenced  to  prepare  the 
summer  drink  whose  delights  he  had  ex 
tolled. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Kildare,  "  I  have 
not  tasted  a  drop  of  palatable  water  since 
I've  been  on  the  Fields?" 

"  I  have  had  many  encounters  with  the 
water  question,  and  have  subdued,  but  riot 
yet  conquered  it.  I  had  a  barrel  brought 
from  the  Dam  yesterday.  The  brownish 
liquid  you  see  in  that  jar  is  some  of  it. 
Don't  look  so  disgusted,  Major,  the  little 
water  you  will  drink  in  the  compound  I  am 
mixing  has  been  filtered  through  that  Faitje 
of  powdered  charcoal,"  and  the  doctor 
pointed  to  a  bag  suspended  from  the  ceil 
ing  of  an  adjoining  room.  . 

Major  Kildare  was  a  retired  English  offi 
cer,  who  had  been  sent,  as  Agent  of  his 
Grace  the  Duke  of  Graberg,  to  purchase 
from  the  unsuspecting  Boers,  at  nominal 
sums,  their  Transvaal  farms  on  which  he 
knew  there  was  gold.  Many  of  these  farms 
were  valueless  stone  mountains,  but  if  His 
Grace  the  Duke  allowed  his  name  to  appear 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  69 

at  the  head  of  the  great  South  African  gold 
mining  company,  it  must  be  a  good  thing  to 
invest  in. 

The  Agent  had  an  original  idea — so  he 
thought — as  to  the  way  a  certain  game  of 
cards  should  be  played,  suggested  by  an 
American  Diplomat  at  the  Court  of  St. 
James,  from  whom  he  had  taken  several  ex 
pensive  lessons. 

He  unfolded  his  scheme  to  the  two  gen 
tlemen  present,  and  proposed  a  practical  ex 
hibition  of  his  science.  Dr.  Fox,  having 
limited  the  game  to  eleven  o'clock,  at  which 
hour  lie  had  an  appointment  with  two  other 
M.D.'s,  for  an  important  consultation,  con 
sented,  and  then  proceeded  to  become  in 
itiated  in  the  mysteries  of  the  game  of 
Poker,  as  taught  by  an  Englishman,  and  in 
endeavoring  to  graduate  in  it,  lost  several 
large  sums  of  money.  The  three  played 
until  Herr  Schwatka  protested  that  he  was 
no  match  for  the  other  two,  and  withdrew 
from  the  game. 

The  Yankee  Doctor  soon  began  to  exhibit 
signs  of  having  known — perhaps  in  some 
pre-historic  existence  which  he  was  just  be- 


70  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

ginning  to  remember — something  of  how 
the  game  should  be  played  himself. 

"Doctor,"  said  Schwatka,  "if  I  could 
develop  so  great  a  talent  as  you  have,  in 
so  short  a  time,  at  a  game  you  seemed  to 
know  but  little  of,  I  should  stop  giving 
medicine  for  a  living." 

"  Ah  !  would  you,"  replied  the  doctor. 
"  I  rarely  do  give  medicine.  Five  out  of 
every  ten  physicians  give  their  patients  med 
icine  simply  to  follow  traditions.  The  friend 
of  my  boyhood,  old  Dr.  Snow,  used  to  say, 
that  giving  medicine  to  a  patient,  is  like  go 
ing  into  a  dark  room  where  your  friend  is  in 
mortal  combat  with  an  enemy.  All  is  dark, 
not  a  ray  of  light  to  distinguish  friend  from 
foe.  You  raise  a  club  and  strike  in  the  loca 
tion  of  the  struggle.  If  you  miss  your  friend 
and  hit  his  foe,  your  friend  is  saved  !  " 

"The  deal  is  with  you,  Doctor." 

11  Excuse  me  for  talking  shop,  though 
you'll  have  to  charge  that  to  Herr 
Schwatka,"  said  the  doctor,  dealing.  "  How 
many  cards,  Major  ?  " 

"Two." 

"  I'll  chance  one." 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


"What  is   it   that  makes  people   sick?" 
continued  Schwatka. 

"  It  is  often  fear  that  makes  people  ill. 
They  fear  this   and   fear 
that ;  their  thoughts  dwell 


upon  a  dread  disease,  or 
they  apprehend  some  danger 
in  business  affairs,  until  their  thoughts  are 
so  saturated  with  the  dread,  that  it  is  im 
possible  to  escape  from  it." 

"  This  looks  good  for  a  pound,"  put  in 
the  major. 


72  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

"  I'll  see  that  and  raise  you  five,"  said  the 
doctor. 

"  I'll  see  that  five  and  go  you  five  better," 
said  Kildare. 

"I'll  see  that  and  raise  you  ten,"  returned 
the  doctor. 

"  Call  you,  Doctor.  You  can't  scare  me 
with  a  bob-tail  flush."  The  doctor  threw  his 
cards  in  the  pack.  The  major  smiled  as  he 
raked  in  the  stakes,  and  asked  the  doctor 
to  continue  on  his  theory. 

"  Many  men,"  he  observed,  "of  supposed 
integrity  on  the  Fields,  are  illicit  diamond 
buyers.  They  are  constantly  haunted  by 
the  fear  of  detection,  and  they  will  try  to 
deceive  themselves  into  the  belief  that  the 
dread  that  is  eating  them  up  is  some  liver 
or  stomach  trouble,  and  they  come  to  the 
doctor  for  relief.  That  they  are  tracked  by 
this  invisible  foe  no  further  proof  is  needed 
than  the  fact  that  last  year  six  of  our  lead 
ing  business  men  committed  suicide.  Fear 
is  a  ghost  which  stalks  to  and  fro  over  the 
earth,  forever  haunting  the  imaginations  of 
men." 

"Raise  you  a  fiver,"  called  the  major. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  73 

"  See  that,  and  ten  better,"  replied  the 
doctor. 

"Call  you,  doctor." 

"  Queens." 

"Never  bet  on  the  women,  Doctor; 
Kings." 

"  Heavy  betting  for  so  light  a  hand,"  re 
marked  Herr  Schwatka. 

"  I've  won  a  thousand  with  a  smaller. 
It's  sand,  not  cards,  that  wins  at  Poker. 
Half  past  ten  ! — as  I  have  to  be  present  at 
an  interesting  surgical  operation,  within  the 
next  hour,  I  think  we  had  better  discontinue 
our  game." 


CHAPTER  X. 

An  Explosion  or   Two. 

"  WE  have  time  for  a  game  or  two  yet, 
Doctor,  and  let  us  make  it  a  Jack-pot,"  said 
the  major. 

"All  right.  I'll  open  it  for  a  pound, "said 
the  doctor,  looking  at  two  cards. 

"  I  low  many  cards  will  you  have?" 

"  I'll  stand  pat." 

"I'll  take  three." 

"Major,  I  think   these  are  worth  a  fiver." 

"Mine  are  worth  ten." 

"Well,  let  me  see.  I'll  see  that  ten  and 
raise  you  twenty." 

"  Kilters  won't  work  in  a  Jack-pot.  I 
think  you're  bluffing  with  that  pat  hand." 

"  It  will  only  cost  you  twenty  pounds 
more  to  find  out." 

"I'll  see  that  twenty  and  raise  you  fifty," 
said  the  major. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  75 

''There  is  your  fifty,  and  one  hundred  on 
top.  Now  your  curiosity  may  be  more  ex 
pensive.  I  think  it  will  take  all  that  to 
make  me  even,"  rejoined  the  doctor.  The 
Englishman  hesitated,  and  raised  it  another 
hundred. 

"Well,  here  goes;  I'll  call  you.  I  don't 
like  high  play  among  friends,  Major.  What 
have  you  got  ?" 

The  major  dropped  three  kings  and  two 
aces.  The  doctor  showed  four  sixes. 

"  I  thought  you  played  with  sand,  and  not 
with  cards,  Doctor,"  remarked  the  major, 
sarcastically. 

"They  are  botli  useful  in  the  game  of 
poker,"  replied  the  doctor  as  he  tipped 
back  in  his  chair. 

The  major's  face  showed  signs  of  annoy 
ance,  but  witli  a  forced  calmness  he  said  : 

"  It  is  early  yet  ;  shall  we  not  continue  ?" 

"I  think  we  have  played  long  enough  for 
one  sitting,"  responded  the  doctor.  "  It  is 
eleven  now  ;  recollect  my  consultation.  I 
trust  you  may  have  better  luck  next  time." 

"I  hardly  think  it  quite  square  to  quit, 
and  I  so  heavy  a  loser." 


76  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

11  I  am  not  accustomed  to  having  my 
squareness  questioned,  Major.  My  record 
here  and  elsewhere  shows  no  entry  of  unfair 
play  ;  but  we  will  not  continue  this  line  of 
conversation.  Gentlemen,  you  are  my 
guests." 

"  Herr  Schwatka  is  your  friend,  and  mine. 
He  shall  settle  the  question,"  continued  the 
major,  turning  to  Schwatka. 

"  I  beg  you,  gentlemen,"  said  Schwatka, 
"  to  arrange  this  matter  without  any  quarrel." 

"  Herr  Schwatka,"  said  the  doctor,  slow 
ly,  "there  will  be  no  quarrel.  It  takes  two 
to  make  one,  and  I  shall  not  be  a  party.  I 
merely  say,  that  long  play,  and  high  play, 
tends  to  mar  friendship,  and  we  cannot  af 
ford  to  be  other  than  friends." 

"  Dr.  Fox,  I  regret  that  I  have  met  a  card 
sharper,  instead  of  a  gentleman,"  cried  the 
major,  choking  with  rage. 

"  Major,  do  not  lose  your  temper  so 
cheaply.  Name  your  loss  and  I  will  return 
the  sum  to  you." 

The  brow  of  Kildare  clouded  as  black  as 
night,  and  he  fiercely  exclaimed : 

"Do  you  mean  to  insult  me,  sir?     I  am 


An  1.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  77 

no  beggar  to  ask  alms.  You  add  insult  to 
injury,  and  shall  answer  for  it." 

He  and  Schwatka  had  risen  to  their  feet 
during  this  heated  colloquy.  The  doctor 
alone  remained  seated. 

Leaning  his  arm  on  the  table  he  said,  in 
a  low  and  firm  voice  : 

"  Major,  you  and  I  cannot  afford  to  fight. 
All  know  you  are  a  brave  man.  Your  cour 
age,  as  the  world  interprets  that  sentiment, 
no  one  would  question." 

The  quiet,  unimpassioned  tone  of  Dr. 
Fox  seemed  to  subdue  the  fiery  major,  who 
resumed  his  seat  as  the  doctor  proceeded  : 

"My  definition  of  the  word  'courage,' 
differs  widely  from  the  general  acceptation 
of  its  meaning.  Why  does  the  commander 
of  a  regiment  rush  to  the  front,  and  lead 
his  men  to  the  charge  ?  Paradoxical  as  it 
may  seem,  fear,  fear  is  the  impelling  force  ; 
fear  lest  he  be  thought  a  coward.  I  have 
looked  down  the  barrel  of  a  shot-gun,  in  a 
country  where  men  go  gunning  for  men,  as 
you  do  for  chance-hits  at  fledgelings  at  the 
game  of  poker." 

Here  the  doctor  rose,  and  proceeded  to 


7 8  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

the  side-board  ;  as  he  mixed  a  drink,  he  con 
tinued  : 

"I  am  alone  in  the  world,  with  no  family 
ties.     You  have  a  wife  and  fam 
ily.     Would    it    be  a  heroic  act 
for  me  to  accept  a 
challenge     from 


you  and  perchance  kill  you  ? 
No,  Major,  I  confess  I  am  too 
much  of  a  coward  to  meet  the 
anguished  looks  of  those  whom  my 
hand  had  widowed  and  orphaned.    If  you  will 
drop  in  here  any  evening,  I  shall  be  pleased 
to  give  you  the  opportunity  of  getting  even. 


Aii  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  79 

Before  Kildare  could  reply,  a  terrific  roar 
and  cannonading  smote  the  air.  The  three 
men  gazed  in  silence  at  each  other,  with  as 
tonishment  depicted  on  their  faces.  As  the 
cannonading  continued,  they  rushed  to  the 
door,  and  there  in  the  bright  moonlight 
perceived  a  column  of  smoke  rising  to  the 
height  of  near  a  thousand  feet. 

Looking  at  it,  Schwatka  exclaimed  : 

"The  unexpected  is  constantly  occurring 
in  this  town.  Earthquakes  shake  the  mine, 
causing  the  reef  to  fall,  thereby  covering  up 
valuable  ground  which  must  be  laboriously 
unearthed  again.  Explosions  in  the  mines 
follow  on  the  heels  of  some  accident  caused 
by  machinery  giving  way,  and  so  it  goes  on, 
ad  infinitnm.  What's  this  last  infernal  noise 
about,  I  wonder  ?  " 

This  disturbance  was  beyond  the  under 
standing  of  those  men,  wrho  had  forgotten 
all  their  differences  of  the  evening,  in  gaz 
ing  at  that  strange  and  monstrous  cloud 
rising  in  the  air,  and  hanging  over  them 
with  threatening  aspect,  as  if  it  would  de 
scend  upon  the  town  and  destroy  it. 

As  the  noise  continued,  they  went  out  into 


8o  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

the  compound,  and  walked  in  the  direction 
of  the  sound. 

The  midnight  hour  is  devoted  to  blasting 
in  the  mines,  but  it  was  not  yet  midnight. 
Hastening  on  their  way  to  the  scene  of  the 
cannonading,  a  man  approached,  leading 
Mrs.  Laure's,  favorite  servant,  Bela.  He 
was  covered  with  blood,  and,  holding  his 
hand  to  his  face,  moaned  piteously.  The 
doctor  perceived  that  the  boy's  face  had 
been  terribly  torn  by  a  flying  missile. 

"What  is  the  cause  of  all  this  noise?" 
asked  the  doctor. 

"  The  powder  magazines  are  blown  up," 
replied  the  man. 

"Which  ones?" 

''The  whole  thirty." 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  Not  thirty  tons  of 
dynamite  ?  " 

"Yes,  together  with  the  gelatine  and  the 
cartridges.  You  needn't  go  any  further, 
this  boy  needs  your  attention.  I  will  leave 
him  in  your  care,  Doctor,  and  return  to  the 
scene  of  the  disaster." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Kildare.  Dr. 
Fox,  accompanied  by  Herr  Schwatka,  re- 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  81 

turned  to  his  office  with  Bela.  On  examin 
ing  the  boy,  the  doctor  found  it  necessary  to 
use  his  surgical  skill  on  the  boy's  eye,  which 
had  been  torn  from  its  socket. 

"Well,  Bela,"  said  Schwatka,  "this  is  a 
sorry  piece  of  business,  but  as  one  of  your 
most  interesting  characteristics  is  lack  of 
beauty,  your  value  may  be  enhanced  by  the 
loss  of  an  optic  !  Your  mistress  will  be  sorry 
to  lose  you,  for  she  could  not  endure  to  see 
you  around  her  disfigured  in  this  way." 
He  left  Bela  with  the  doctor,  and  sauntered 
out.  After  Schwatka  had  gone,  Dr.  Fox 
gazed  some  time  at  Bela,  then  sat  down  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  a  London  oculist,  ready  for 
that  d:iy's  English  mail,  ordering  a  glass  eye 
for  Bela,  to  be  sent  to  him  immediately. 

"  Yes,"  mused  the  doctor,  "  I  can  place  an 
artificial  eye  in  that  socket,  that  will  make 
you  again  presentable,"  and  taking  the  boy 
by  the  hand,  accompanied  him  to  the  hos 
pital,  and  placed  him  in  charge  of  those 
self-sacrificing  women,  who  devote  their 
lives  to  the  alleviation  of  human  pain,  ut 
terly  forgetful  of  self,  in  the  divine  love 
which  shines  through  them. 


82  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Although  Bela  was  called  "  boy  "  by  many, 
he  was  nearly  forty  years  of  age.  It  is  the 
custom  of  the  white  men  to  call  the  blacks 
"  boys,"  in  speaking  to  them. 

Bela  was  a  "  Bosjesman  "  or  Bushman, 
with  features  of  the  negro  type,  and  short 
crispy  black  hair.  He  was  about  four  feet 
in  height,  being  one  of  a  race  of  pigmies, 
now  nearly  extinct.  They  are  the  oldest 
race  known  in  Africa.  Though  living  in 
the  midst  of  foreign  tribes  of  warriors  of 
large  stature,  their  traditions  tell  of  a 
mighty  nation  who  dwelt  in  caves  and  holes 
in  the  ground,  who  were  great  elephant 
hunters,  and  who  used  poisoned  arrows  in 
warfare. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  Visit  to  a  Diamond  Mine. 

As  Dainty  Laure  and  Kate  Darcy  stood 
on  the  edge  of  the  Kimberley  Mine,  it  was 
with  a  feeling  of  awe  that  Kate  looked  down 
into  its  depths  filled  with  Kafirs  and  their 
white  overseers,  and  saw  those  endless  ca 
ble  wires  extending  from  the  brink  to  the 
bottom  of  the  mine.  The  huge  buckets  re 
sembled  spiders  at  work,  ascending  until 
they  reached  the  edge  of  the  bowl,  when 
they  would  drop  their  spoils  into  cars  which 
stood  waiting  for  them,  and  which  in  turn 
would  crawl  off.  and  away  to  the  "  floor," 
where  they  deposited  their  load,  leaving 
the  spiders  to  return  to  their  task  in  the 
bottom  of  the  mine. 

On  the  arrival  of  Donald,  Schwatka,  and 
the  ladies  at  the  Company's  office,  they 
were  conducted  to  the  brink  of  the  shaft 


84  An  7.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

sunk  by  a.  countryman  of  Kate's,  which 
was  the  first  successful  attempt  made  in 
that  direction. 

Entering  an  elevator  about  six  feet 
square,  whicli  was  waiting  to  receive  them, 
they  slowly  descended  to  the  depth  of  two 
hundred  feet.  The  earth  had  been  probed 
to  three  times  that  depth,  but  the  shaft  had 
not  as  yet  been  sunk  deeper.  From  the 
bottom  of  the  shaft  was  a  tunnel  reaching1 
to  the  mine,  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
feet.  It  seemed  like  looking  through  an 
inverted  telescope. 

In  this  tunnel  was  laid  a  tramway,  on 
which  cars  were  constantly  going  to  and 
from  the  mine. 

They  walked  through  the  tunnel  until  an 
opening  was  reached,  then  stepped  out  on 
a  ledge,  and  found  themselves  in  the  mine, 
on  the  precious  blue  soil  ;  with  hundreds 
of  Kafirs  working  below,  under  the  inspec 
tion  of  overseers,  who  would  occasionally 
draw  a  gem  from  under  the  spade  of  one  of 
the  delvers.  From  there  they  looked  up 
ward  to  the  sun,  glaring  hot  and  bright  over 
them,  and  then  to  the  brink  of  the  mine, 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  85 

where  men  seemed  like  small  boys  moving 
about. 

It  was  a  strange  sensation  to  stand  and 
gaze  around  on  this  comparatively  recent 
discovery,  and  contemplate  what  had  been 
accomplished,  and  reflect  on  the  strange 
chance  that  had  unearthed  so  much  mag 
nificent  wealth. 

"Mr.  Laure,  how  has  this  bed  of  dia 
monds  been  formed  ?"  asked  Miss  Darcy. 

"  The  mine  is  thought  to  be  the  '  pipe  '  of 
an  extinct  volcano,  and  it  is  supposed  that 
the  diamondiferous  soil  containing  garnets, 
ironstone,  crystals,  and  diamonds,  has  been 
thrown  up  by  the  action  of  the  great  heat 
of  this  volcano,"  replied  Donald,  "and  there 
seems  to  be  no  end  of  the  glorious  riches 
of  this  bed  of  diamonds." 

"  Well,"  continued  Kate,  "it  is  difficult  to 
realize  that  this  monster  pit  has  been  hewn 
out  in  so  short  a  time  by  man.  Nothing 
daunts  him  in  his  frantic  search  for 
wealth." 

"  Those  white  men  you  see  are  overseers. 
Each  overseer  has  from  ten  to  fifteen  Kafirs 
under  his  eye,  to  see  that  they  do  not  con- 


86  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

ceal  diamonds,  as  they  turn  over  the  'blue 
stuff '  as  we  call  it,"  said  Schwatka.  "  Not 
withstanding  the  utmost  watchfulness,  they 
contrive  to  steal  and  secrete  the  gems  about 
their  persons  in  inconceivable  ways.  As 
an  incentive  to  his  vigilance  each  overseer 
is  given  a  portion  of  the  profits  on  all  dia 
monds  found  under  his  watchful  eyes.  An 
overseer  picked  up  the  Porter  Rhodes  dia 
mond,  and  his  share  of  the  profits  made 
him  a  wealthy  man." 

"  Do  these  overseers  detect  many  Kafirs 
in  the  act  of  stealing  ?" 

"  No,  Miss  Darcy.  A  Kafir's  counte 
nance  is  so  immovable,  that  it  is  unread 
able.  Looking  right  at  the  overseer  he 
will  work  a  diamond  in  between  his  toes, 
and  thus  convey  it  out  of  the  mine.  He 
eludes  the  keenest  vigilance  by  concealing 
the  gems  in  his  wroolly  hair,  and  under 
his  tongue,  and  even  by  swallowing  them. 
A  stray  dog  will  receive  into  his  shag 
gy  back,  a  valuable  stone,  and  carry  it 
around  with  him,  until  relieved  of  it  by 
the  Kafir." 

"The  working  of   the   mine  must  be  at- 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


87 


I 


sWfr-  tended  with  great 

expense,  and  these 

natives    must    seem    like    vampires    to    the 
claim-holders,"  said  Kate. 

"  That  is  true.     Two  years  ago  there  were 


88  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

one  million  carats  of  diamonds  taken  out  of 
the  Kimberley  Mine,  while  those  of  Dutoits 
Pan  and  Bultfontein  yielded  no  less  than 
seven  hundred  thousand  carats.  About  one 
quarter  of  this  enormous  product  was  stolen 
by  the  Kafirs  employed  in  the  mines,  and 
sold  by  them  to  the  I.  D.  B.'s,  who  are  often 
respected  and  licensed  diamond  buyers. 
The  large  number  of  jewels  stolen  by  the 
blacks  while  working  in  the  mines  has  led 
the  Government  to  make  stringent  laws  to 
regulate  their  purchase  and  sale." 

"How  do  these  Kafirs  know  to  whom  to 
sell  their  booty?"  asked  Kate. 

"Most  of  the  natives  who  work  in  the 
mines  have  friends  in  service  in  the  town  ; 
and  it  is  through  their  assistance  that  they 
dispose  of  the  stolen  diamonds.  These 
house  servants  form  the  acquaintance  of 
some  illicit  diamond  buyer,  or  I.  D.  B.,  as 
he  is  pithily  called,  to  whom  they  sell  the 
precious  stones.  There  is  a  fascination  to 
some  men  engaged  in  this  traffic  which  far 
excels  that  of  any  other  species  of  gambling. 
If  they  win,  they  leave  for  Europe  compar 
atively  rich  men  in  a  few  years,  but  they 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  89 

run  such  risks  of  detection  that  it  makes 
life  unbearable  to  a  man  troubled  with  a 
conscience." 

"Are  the  diamonds  from  this  soil  as  fine 
as  those  taken  from  the  Brazilian  mines?" 

"That  is  a  question  that  is  raised  by 
many,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  South 
African  or  Cape  diamond  is  as  pure  and 
brilliant  as  any  from  Brazil.  Most  of  the 
crown  jewels  of  Europe,  renowned  for 
their  history  no  less  than  their  intrinsic 
worth,  came  from  India.  The  Koh-i-noor 
was  owned  by  an  East  Indian  chief,  five 
thousand  years  ago.  The  Indian  mines 
were  eclipsed  by  the  Brazilian,  which  in 
their  turn  have  yielded  to  the  fame  of  those 
of  South  Africa — the  largest  in  the  world." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Strolling  among  Riches. 

As  Kate  watched  the  Kafirs  fill  the  buck 
ets  with  the  diamondiferous  soil,  she  un 
derstood  the  fascination  which  kept  men 
tarrying  in  that  hot  climate,  hoping  that 
some  lucky  turn  of  the  pick  or  spade  might 
unearth  for  them  a  fortune. 

While  they  were  standing  on  the  ledge  of 
blue  stuff  extending  from  the  tunnel,  Don 
ald  moved  a  short  distance  from  them  when 
a  stone  fell  at  his  feet.  It  was  thrown  in 
such  a  manner,  that  he  knew  it  was  not  ac 
cidental.  His  countenance  never  changed, 
and  he  stood  perfectly  still  for  several  min 
utes,  then  strolled  leisurely  back  to  the 
mouth  of  the  tunnel.  As  he  did  so,  a 
Kafir's  voice  in  a  low  tone  said  :  "  Ba-a-as  !  " 

Donald  wheeled,  and  there  in  a  dark  an 
gle  of  the  excavation  where  it  led  into  an 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  91 

inner  chamber,  stood  a  native  who  had  been 
pushing  the  cars  through  the  tunnel  as  the 
party  entered  it. 

He  held  up  between  his  thumb  and  fin 
ger  something  white,  like  a  large  lump  of 
alum.  Donald  stood  a  few  seconds  with 
his  hands  in  his  pockets,  eying  him  in 
tently,  then  took  a  few  steps,  looked  down 
the  tunnel  and  listened  attentively  for  any 
sound  in  the  opposite  direction  ;  the  next 
moment  he  had  made  three  strides  toward 
the  boy  and  taken  the  diamond  from  his 
hand,  when  two  shadows  fell  across  his 
pathway.  He  glanced  up  and  beheld 
Dainty  and  Schwatka.  He  closed  his  hand 
over  the  gem  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  The 
two  men  looked  at  each  other  without 
speaking,  and  then  as  Herr  Schwatka's 
eyes  filled  with  a  fine  scorn  they  fell  on 
Dainty,  and  there  was  an  instantaneous 
change  of  expression  in  them,  which  he 
concealed  by  turning  his  face.  Speaking 
in  a  bantering  tone,  he  said  : 

"Donald  prefers  darkness  to  light!  I 
think,  Mrs.  Laure,  that  if  he  does  not  re 
gain  his  sunny  disposition,  you  will  have  to 


92  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

take  him  away  from  the  camp  for  a  vaca 
tion." 

Dainty  had  observed  the  look  which 
passed  between  her  husband  and  Schwatka, 
but  did  not  understand  its  meaning. 

She  had  not  perceived  the  diamond  in 
Donald's  hand,  for  she  had  been  picking 
her  way  to  the  entrance  of  the  tunnel,  and 
had  approached  it  with  her  eyes  cast  down, 
until  her  companion  came  to  a  standstill. 

She  understood  the  meaning  of  that  look 
later.  How  often  a  cloud  passes  over  us 
surcharged  with  power,  to  which  we  are  in 
different,  until  it  is  revealed  to  us  by  some 
lightning  flash  of  memory. 

The  Kafir  had  immediately  taken  hold  of 
his  car,  and  wheeled  it  into  an  inner  cham 
ber,  but  not  before  Dainty  had  noted  that 
he  was  a  Fingo  boy,  who  often  came  to  the 
house  on  errands  for  Donald.  The  beads, 
earrings,  and  ornaments  with  which  the  na 
tives  adorn  themselves,  and  also  the  style 
of  wearing  the  hair,  distinguish  one  tribe 
of  Kafirs  from  another  ;  and  these  pecu 
liarities  were  well  known  to  Dainty. 

As  Miss  Darcy  joined  them,  they  returned 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  93 

to  the  shaft,  entered  the  elevator,  and  soon 
arrived  at  the  Company's  office. 

The  day's  "wash-up"  of  the  diamonds 
was  next  seen,  and  the  assorting  of  them  on 
the  "  sorting  "  table  (which  is  very  agreeable 
work  to  those  who  are  looking  for  a  prize — 
and  find  it,  but  a  little  tedious  if  the  labors 
result  in  failure)  was  gone  through,  and 
some  fine  brilliants  found. 

It  was  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
on  their  return  home  that  they  strolled 
through  the  diamond  market,  a  street  of 
one-story  houses  built  of  corrugated  iron, 
with  the  interiors  very  simply  finished. 
They  visited  the  offices  of  several  diamond 
buyers,  representing  Parisian,  English,  Vi 
ennese,  and  Holland  houses  in  this  branch 
of  trade.  They  were  of  all  nations,  those 
of  Jewish  origin  predominating,  and  the 
visitors  were  received  with  the  utmost  cour 
tesy. 

The  contents  of  their  safes,  stored  with 
precious  stones  awaiting  the  departure  of 
the  English  mail,  packets  of  gems  contain 
ing  from  ten  to  one  hundred  carats  weight, 
were  freely  exhibited ;  and  Kate  almost 


94  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

wished  that  she  too  might  enter  the  fasci 
nating  trade  of  buying  and  selling  dia 
monds. 

Proceeding  on  their  way  to  the  hotel,  they 
passed  through  the  market  square  which 
was  strewn  with  the  merchandise  of  the 
country.  It  was  difficult  to  say  whether 
the  mine  they  had  recently  left  was  even  as 
interesting  as  the  exhibit  of  wealth  lying 
before  them,  brought  from  a  great  distance 
in  the  interior  ;  that  delightful  unknown 
country,  with  its  lions,  leopards,  ivory,  and 
impregnable  strongholds  of  savage  chiefs 
and  adventurous  traders. 

The  life  of  this  latter  class  is  as  interest 
ing  to  contemplate  as  are  the  fruits  of  their 
labor  and  skill.  They  go  into  the  strange 
country  where  the  Tse  fly  stings  their  horses 
to  death,  and  where  they  must  fight  the  still 
more  deadly  fevers.  If  they  survive  and 
manage  to  crawl  out  yellow  and  wan,  the 
fervid  life  still  holds  out  its  charms  for 
them,  and  they  return  to  it  again  with  the 
same  eagerness  ;  the  voice  of  adventure 
drowns  the  admonitory  tones  of  ease  and 
safety. 


Jfc 


96  An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

On  the  corner  of  the  market  square,  sat  a 
Coolie  woman,  about  thirty  years  of  age,  of 
diminutive  form.  In  her  native  costume 
of  many  bright-hued  silk  handkerchiefs 
draped  around  her  limbs,  neck,  and  head, 
with  the  gold  ring  hanging  from  the  nose, 
the  earrings  surrounding  the  entire  outer 
edge  of  the  ear,  bracelets,  anklets,  and  arm 
lets,  she  presented  a  perfect  type  of  this 
semi-barbaric  country. 

Sitting  there  beside  her  basket  of  oranges 
and  melons,  she  fitted  like  a  mosaic  into  the 
strange  scene  before  them. 

A  little  farther  on  was  a  trader's  wagon, 
about  fourteen  feet  long,  and  four  and  a 
half  feet  wide,  piled  high  with  skins  of  the 
leopard,  silver  jackal,  tiger,  hyena,  and  rare 
black  fox.  These  skins,  or  karosses,  as 
they  are  called,  were  as  soft  to  the  touch  as 
a  velvet  robe,  and  had  none  of  that  hard 
thickness  which  characterize  the  cured 
skins  of  our  wild  animals.  The  natives  are 
experts  in  the  curing  of  these  skins,  and  de 
liver  them  to  the  traders  sewed  together  as 
neatly  as  a  Parisian  kid-glove,  with  thread 
made  from  the  sinews  of  wild  animals. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.  97 

As  they  strolled  along,  the  next  objects 
which  attracted  their  attention  were  the 
large-sized  oxen  with  their  enormously  long 
and  graceful  horns. 

These  animals  are  the  especial  pride  of 
the  Boer  farmer,  who  cares  more  for  his 
span  of  sixteen  handsomely-matched  oxen 
than  for  any  other  object,  animate  or  inani* 
mate,  on  his  farm.  The  particular  cattle 
which  attracted  their  notice  were  beautifully 
spotted  black  and  white,  with  hides  shining 
like  satin.  As  Kate  approached  one  of 
them,  and  reached  out  her  hand,  she  could 
not  touch  the  line  of  his  back-bone,  even 
when  standing  on  tip-toe. 

They  stood  there,  huge  creatures,  with 
their  horns  towering  in  the  air. 

They  would  have  made  a  fortune  for  the 
brush  of  a  Bonheur. 

It  can  hardly  excite  wonder  that  such 
animals  gain  so  much  affection.  The  trad 
er's  wagon  to  which  they  were  yoked  was 
loaded  with  ivory  tusks,  valuable  furs,  os 
trich  feathers,  and  other  rich  and  singular 
merchandise.  One  feather,  a  yard  long  and 
half  a  yard  wide  from  tip  to  tip,  passed  into 
'7 


98  An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Kate's  possession.     It  was  a  plume  no  less 
beautiful  than  rare. 

"  These  feathers,"  said  Kate,  regarding 
the  gift  with  admiration,  "  do  not  look  like 
the  flossy,  saucy,  flirty  things  which  appear 
on  ladies'  hats,  strewing  coquettish  shad 
ows  over  the  face.  They  resemble  those 
ugly  awkward  trailing  bits  of  vanity  which 
weep  from  their  hats  after  a  heavy  rain, 
when  they  have  neglected  to  carry  that 
every-day  English  article  of  dress,  an  um 
brella  !  They  are  as  ugly  as  the  bird  from 
which  they  are  plucked,  until  some  uncon 
scionable  merchant  brings  the  tempting 
merchandise  to  town,  and  places  it  in  the 
hands  of  the  milliner.  Then  the  great  play 
of  *  My  Milliner's  Bill  '  is  enacted,  hus 
bands  and  fathers  are  ruined  by  its  repre 
sentation,  while  the  women,  pretty  pieces 
of  vanity,  get  free  tickets  to  the  show." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
A  Morning  Ride. 

ONE  bright  summer's  morning  in  the  lat 
ter  part  of  November,  as  Dr.  Fox  was  on 
his  way  to  visit  a  patient  living  in  Dutoits 
Pan,  he  turned  his  horses'  heads  into  the 
street  where  lived  Miss  Kate  Darcy. 

As  he  neared  the  house  of  his  country 
woman,  in  whom  he  had  recently  come  to 
take  a  deep  interest,  she  appeared  descend 
ing  the  steps  of  the  verandah  which  sur 
rounded  the  house.  He  spoke  to  his  horses, 
and  they  increased  their  speed,  reaching  the 
curbstone  as  Miss  Darcy  opened  the  gate. 

"Good- morning,  Miss  Darcy,"  said  he, 
"out  for  a  walk  ?  Would  that  I  were  also 
walking  !  " 

Kate  looked  up  brightly  and  smiled. 

"  Good-morning,"  said  she,  "would  that  I 
were  also  riding  !  " 

Dr.  Fox's  eyes  held  a  gleam  of  pleasure, 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          101 

and  springing  lightly  from  the  carriage, 
said,  "  I  shall  admit  of  no  retreat  after  that. 
I  am  going  to  Dutoits  Pan,  a,nd  you  must 
go  with  me." 

Kate  readily  entered  the  carriage,  the 
doctor  seated  himself  by  her  side,  and  the 
horses  sped  away. 

"  Is  there  not  a  sort  of  indefinable  recog 
nition  of  approach  and  presence,  by  which 
we  may  sometimes  become  aware  of  the 
proximity  of  people  before  seeing  them  ?  " 
began  the  doctor.  "  I  was  thinking  of  you 
as  I  rode  along,  and  here  you  are  !  " 

Kate  did  not  say  that  she  had  also  thought 
of  the  doctor  that  morning.  She  only  re 
plied  : 

"Yes,  I  think  there  is  often  something  of 
that  sort.  And  recognition  goes  farther, 
too.  We  may  often  see  a  man's  invisible 
soul,  paradoxically  speaking,  against  his 
will,  and  without  desire.  There  is  some 
thing,  too,  about  a  person  that  radiates,  as 
it  were,  and  unconsciously  to  himself  and 
others  affects  those  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact.  I  suppose  it  affects  sometimes 
from  afar,  as  I  did  you  this  morning." 


102         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Dr.  Fox  looked  at  Kate  curiously. 

''You  are  a  novelty  in  this  part  of  the 
world,"  he  said.  "  I  suppose  no  other 
woman  this  side  an  ocean  voyage  could  talk 
like  that." 

"  That  may  be  true,"  said  Kate,  unaffect 
edly.  "  Women  about  here  are  not  thinkers 
along  certain  lines.  But  I  have  a  belief 
that  moral  and  spiritual  atmosphere  has 
an  extent  and  influence  of  which  we  little 
dream." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment.  Then, 
with  a  quick  transition,  Kate  again  spoke  : 

"Isn't  this  glorious?  I  am  never  hap 
pier  than  when  I  am  behind  fine  horses,  rid 
ing  over  a  good  road." 

"I  think,  then,  I  see  the  way  to  giving 
you  happiness,"  said  the  doctor,  "and  at 
the  same  time  getting  a  good  deal  for  my 
self.  You  seem  like  a  bit  of  my  native  land 
again." 

"Of  the  earth,  earthy  ?"  queried  Kate. 

"  How  can  you  !  "  cried  the  doctor,  "  but 
you  are  the  first  American  woman  I  have 
seen  in  two  years,  and  you  are  tremendously 
Yankee." 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          103 

"Pray,  what  is  tremendously  Yankee?" 
asked  Kate. 

"  Oh.  delightfully  individual  !  that  is  a 
trait  of  our  countrymen— yours  and  mine. 
One  sees  it  in  you  when  you  cross  the  floor, 
or  do  any  other  everyday  thing.  You  could 
not  conceal  your  nationality." 

"  We  do  not  try  to  conceal  what  we  take 
pride  in.  I  am  proud  of  being  an  American. 
Dear  old  America,  I  have  not  seen  it  in  five 
years." 

"  So  long  ?    What  have  you  been  doing  ?  " 

"I  have  had  a  career,"  said  Kate,  quietly. 

"  Tell  me  about  your  career,"  said  the 
doctor.  "  I  have  lived  here  two  years,  as 
you  know.  When  you  have  tarried  so  long, 
you  will  want  to  know,  as  deeply  as  you 
can,  the  first  congenial  spirit  that  comes  to 
Africa  and  finds  you." 

"  What,  two  long  years  in  Africa  !  Noth 
ing  could  induce  me  to  stay  in  such  a  land 
so  long." 

"  The  improbable,  even  the  seemingly 
impossible  things,  often  come  to  pass,  Miss 
Darcy.  Now,  please,  are  you  going  to  tell 
me  about  your  career  ?  " 


104         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

"  It  won't  be  long." 

"  What — your  career  ?  " 

"No— the  story  of  it.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  career.  While  I  was  living  it,  it 
seemed  as  if  there  would  never  be  any  end 
to  it,  and  I  often  wished  for  any  other  life 
but  that.  It  came  to  an  end  only  a  few 
months  ago.  It  seems  like  a  dream  of  cen 
turies." 

"  You  must  have  been  very  young  when 
you  began,  for  you " 

"  Don't  look  all  those  centuries,  eh  ? " 
said  Kate,  laughingly.  "  Why,  I  am  twenty- 
eight."  She  then  gave  him  an  outline  of 
her  life,  with  the  heartache  left  out.  Al 
though  Kate  was  of  an  ardent  imaginative 
temperament,  she  never  sentimentally 
dwelt  on  her  griefs. 

By  tliis  time  they  had  reached  their  des 
tination.  The  call  was  short,  the  doctor 
taking  little  time  to  listen  to  the  recount 
ing  of  aches  and  pains.  Me  braced  his  hy- 
pochondriacal  patient  up.  by  telling  him  that 
he  was  far  better  than  he  had  expected  to 
find  him,  and  before  the  invalid  could  re 
lapse,  the  doctor  had  gone.  But  the  man 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          105 

was  better,  of  course,  for  had  not  the  doctor 
told  him  so  ? 

"You  have  returned  quickly,"  said  Kate. 
"  Is  your  patient  better  ? " 

"  The  patient?  Oil  yes,  he's  all  right.  I 
will  bring  my  galvanic  battery  with  me  next 
time,  and  just  give  him  a  little  homoeopathic 
earthquake.  Don't  let  us  talk  about  these 
sick  people.  You  don't  look  as  if  sick  sub 
jects  would  be  appropriate  to  your  thoughts 
or  conversation." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

An  Unexpected  Declaration. 

"  I  HAVE  never  had  time  to  think  of  being 
sick  myself,  or  to  think  of  myself  in  any 
way.  I  used  to  worry  over  every  thing, 
and  strove  to  gather  sufficient  force  in  one 
day  to  last  a  week,  but  the  effort  was  use 
less.  I  now  realize  that  I  am  not  doing  this 
living.  I  am  being  lived.  There  is  much 
rest  to  me  in  that  thought." 

"You  speak  in  riddles,"  said  the  doctor, 
"how  can  an  unimaginative  fellow  like  me 
solve  the  mystery  of  '  I  am  being  lived  ?'  " 

"  It  is  not  a  riddle,  and  it  is  not  for  the 
imaginative,"  said  Kate.  "It  is  reality  of 
which  I  speak.  We  talk  of  the  burden  of 
life.  But  life  is  not  a  burden.  If  you  look 
about  at  the  over-burdened  world  you  will 
find  that  its  people  are  weighed  down  with 
loads  of  their  own  accumulation.  Appre 
hension,  fretfulness,  discontent — a  thousand 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          107 

things — dissipate  the  strength  and  happi 
ness  of  mortals.  I  have  come  to  believe 
that  individual  life,  as  it  was  given  from 
the  hand  of  God,  is  a  fulness — not  a  strife. 
Tiie  familiar  old  figure  of  speech,  'Life  is 
a  river,'  expresses  it  to  me,  and  the  river 
just  flows  along  and  takes  all  the  goodly 
streams  that  flow  into  it  all  the  length  of  its 
course.  So  it  grows  and  is  filled,  not  filling 
itself." 

"  But  don't  you  see,  Miss  Darcy,  that  the 
river  must  also  take  all  the  bad  that  flows 
into  it." 

"  But  don't  you  see,"  asked  Kate,  "  that 
pursuing  its  course  to  the  great  ocean  it 
purifies  and  brings  to  sparkling  clearness 
all  that  comes  to  it.  That  is  always  the  re 
sult  of  patient  and  cheerful  acceptance." 

It  is  in  unexpected  places  and  at  unex 
pected  times  that  we  most  often  find  our 
selves  speaking  of  heart-experiences,  and 
spiritual  beliefs  and  attainments.  To  Dr. 
Fox  this  was  a  rare  occasion.  In  the  life 
he  had  known  since  he  had  left  his  native 
shores,  the  questions  of  the  hour  arising  for 
the  earnest  thinker  had  not  been  presented 


io8         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

to  him.  Like  other  men  away  from  the  in 
fluence  of  home  and  intelligent  high-toned 
womanhood,  he  had  drifted  into  careless 
modes  of  thought. 

The  ease  that  comes  from  a  happy-go- 
lucky  philosophy  is  not  the  peace  that 
comes  of  trust.  Dr.  Fox  felt  this  with  a 
startling  clearness.  Through  the  woman  by 
his  side  came  the  white,  searching  light  of 
a  pure  soul  within,  shining  upon  his  own 
and  revealing  the  barrenness  of  life  without 
earnestness.  How  had  she  readied  her 
spiritual  altitude  amid  the  ambitions  and 
crushing  disappointments  of  her  past  ? 

"  Miss  Darcy,"  said  the  doctor,  "  you  are 
one  of  the  rare  beings  who  see  only  the 
good  in  every  thing.  You  seem  to  know  no 
other  force.  This  may  do  for  women,  but 
how  can  men,  with  grosser  natures,  come 
into  such  a  wide  place  ?" 

Kate  looked  at  her  companion  with  brave, 
open  eyes,  and  she  longed  to  impart  her 
own  earnestness  to  him.  Every  good  woman 
is  a  natural  moral  reformer. 

"  Why,"  said  Kate,  "do  men  leave  women 
lonely  on  spiritual  heights  ?  The  men,  too, 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          109 

are  gods  if  they  did  but  know  it.  Shall 
women  have  all  the  riches  and  delights  of 
inward  content  ?  To  live  in  harmony  with 
our  source  means  perfect  health,  and  the 
attainment  of  our  heart's  desire,  for  then 
there  can  be  no  friction,  no  uncontrollable 
conditions.  Why  should  not  men  without 
skepticism  or  half-heartedness  accept  and 
know  the  truth  ?" 

"  But  you  see,  Miss  Darcy,  men  would 
become  dreamers,  not  workers.  I  fear  we 
must  leave  the  angel-side  of  existence  to 
you,  only  stipulating  that  you  do  not  fly 
away  from  us  entirely." 

"  That  is  the  trouble  with  a  man,"  said 
Kate,  "he  calls  the  strongest  force  in  the 
world  a  dream.  As  for  the  women  flying 
away — don't  think  it.  They  love  to  stay 
where  they  can  keep  the  men  in  sight." 

She  laughed.  Laughter  and  tears  were 
always  close  by  with  Kate. 

"  I  believe,"  she  continued,  "  most  men 
think  that  thoughts  of  this  sort  are  to  be 
saved  for  the  occupying  of  eternal  years. 
Whereas  Eternity  always  was,  and  now  is. 
We  are  living  in  the  Eternal  Now." 


no         An  I.  D.  7?.  in  South  Africa. 

"  You  think  that  men  and  women  could 
be  companions  in  this  thought?"  queried 
the  doctor. 

"I  do.  To  be  companions  in  the  married 
or  unmarried  state,  is  just  the  rarest  happi 
ness  in  the  world,  but  we  are  demanding  it. 
It  is  the  desire  of  the  heart,  and  we  will 
have  it.  Man  stands  for  Love.  Woman 
for  Intelligence,  Intuition.  The  Woman, 
no  matter  how  intellectual,  is  ever  craving 
for  Love,  ever  seeking  it.  When  Love  on 
the  one  hand,  and  Intelligence  and  Intu 
ition  on  the  other,  meet  in  this  belief  in 
the  one  Force,  and  recognize  in  each  other 
the  desire  of  their  hearts  and  cry  out, 
'  I  have  found  you,'  the  two  become  one — 
Spirit." 

"  Why  do  you  say  '  Man  is  Love  ?'  I  have 
always  thought  he  represented  Intelligence." 

"  Is  not  Cupid  a  boy  ? "  replied  Kate 
saucily. 

The  doctor  touched  the  horses  with  the 
whip,  and  they  sped  along  the  road.  There 
was  silence  for  a  few  moments,  when  Kate 
broke  it  by  saying  : 

"  I  shall  remember  this  ride  with  pleas- 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          in 

lire,  Doctor,  as  it  will  probably  be  the  last 
one  I  shall  take  with  you  before  my  depart 
ure  for  other  scenes." 

The  reins  fell  idly  on  the  doctor's  lap, 
and  the  horses  dropped  into  a  walk.  Horses 
have  a  trick  of  accommodating  themselves 
to  the  moods  of  their  drivers. 

The  doctor's  face  lost  its  look  of  enthusi 
asm. 

"  When  do  you  go,  and  where  do  you 
go  ? "  he  asked. 

"  1  want  to  leave  the  Fields  during  the 
hot  Christmas  holidays,  and  have  arranged 
to  go  to  that  pretty  little  spot  not  far  away 
— Bloemfontein. " 

"  I  am  sorry  you  are  going  away,"  said 
the  doctor,  "  but  I  should  be  sorrier  if  it 
were  further  from  Kimberley.  It  seems  a 
short  time  since  you  came  here." 

"Short  stays  make  long  friends,"  said 
Kate. 

"Then  I  shall  come  and  make  short 
stays,"  exclaimed  the  doctor,  with  a  return 
to  something  like  gaiety. 

"  Do "  said  Kate.  "  I  mean  do  come. 

I  don't  mean  make  short  stays  !  " 


I  12 


I.  D.  B.  in  So  it  tli  Africa. 


"  Of  course  you  will  return  to  Kimber- 
ley?" 

<;  I  hardly  think  I  shall,"  replied  Kate. 

" Is  there  nothing  that  I  can  say  that 
could  induce  you  to  return  ?"  The  doctor 
said  this  with  an  accent  on  the  personal 
pronoun  "  I." 

Kate  did  not  think  for  a  moment  that  it 
meant  anything  more  than  gallantry,  but 
something  in  the  tone  of  his  voice  made  her 
look  into  his  face.  The  doctor  was  looking 
at  her  in  that  manly  way  of  his,  and  she  an 
swered  his  look,  with  one  as  sweetly  wom 
anly,  but  hesitated  to  frame  any  words, 
for  the  right  ones  would  not  come.  Where 
now  was  Kate's  fluency  of  speech  ?  He  laid 
his  hand  over  hers,  resting  passively  in  her 
lap,  and  said  : 

"  Pardon  me  for  revealing  my  feelings 
toward  you.  Don't  speak  now.  I  cannot 
expect  you  to  come  to  my  quick  conclu 
sions  in  a  matter  like  this.  Kate,  you  are 
my  ideal  woman.  Only  that  man  who  has 
daily  before  him  his  ideal  for  inspiration 
can  hope  to  attain  his  highest  manhood. 
When  I  make  a  farewell  call  upon  you 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          113 

before  my  trip  to  England,  tell 
me  if  I  have  gone  farther 
than  you  can  go  with  me." 
Kate   sat  in  a  twilight 
~~^       happiness    and 
her  lips  were 
dumb.    She 
could  nei- 


ther  encourage  nor 

deny.     Her  past  was  before  her.     She  re 
membered  the  time  when  she  had  laid  her 


ii4         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

young  heart  on  the  altar  of  an  early  love. 
Could  it  be  possible  she  could  find  happi 
ness  in  the  love  of  another  ?  Should  she 
take  into  the  joyousness  of  her  existence, 
won  by  submission  and  an  exalted  spiritual 
life,  a  new  relationship  ? 

The  doctor's  manner  showed  neither  em 
barrassment  nor  anxiety.  He  had  the  as 
surance  of  a  nature  that  knows  what  it 
wants — as  the  satisfaction  of  love,  and  that 
can  say,  "  I  want  you  for  my  wife.  Come  !  " 
intending  to  take  no  denial.  Then  the  wom 
an,  contented  in  his  love,  is  willing  to  say, 
"  I  will  love,  honor,  and  obey,"  for  her  yoke 
is  the  yoke  of  love,  and  her  burden  light, 
because  she  is  evenly  yoked.  He  was  sure 
that  he  could  make  Kate  Darcy  happy.  It 
should  be  her  own  fault  if  he  did  not.  A 
vision  of  such  a  home  as  could  be  counted 
by  thousands  in  his  own  happy  land  was 
before  him.  If  this  woman  had  drank  of 
the  elixir  of  life,  she  should  by  her  com 
panionship  share  her  cup  with  him.  By 
her  own  story  she  had  grown  younger  with 
years.  She  should  share  her  perfected 
vouth  with  him. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         115 

This  was  a  strange  couple.  Not  a  word 
more  of  the  mysteries  of  life  and  love  es 
caped  them.  They  talked  as  though  they 
were  henceforth  sane  on  all  subjects.  The 
horses  once  more  became  swift.  It  is  well 
that  horses,  if  they  can  hear  and  compre 
hend,  cannot  talk. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

An  Abrupt  Awakening. 

"  FINGO  boy  here,  Ba-a-as,"  said  a  Coolie 
servant,  as  he  entered  the  room  where  Laure 
was  sitting,  on  the  third  day  after  the  visit 
to  the  mine. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"In  kitchen." 

A  cloud  darkened  Laure's  face  ;  after  a 
moment's  hesitation  he  told  the  Coolie  to 
send  the  boy  to  him.  The  Fingo  boy,  who 
had  handed  the  diamond  to  Laure  in  the 
tunnel,  entered  the  room,  and  standing  near 
the  door  waited  for  him  to  speak. 

"Well,  Fingo,"  said  Laure,  in  a  pleasant 
tone  of  voice,  "you  are  around  early  this 
morning — shut  the  door.  What  can  I  do 
for  you  ? " 

"  Come  to  see  bout  dat  big,  white  dia 
mond." 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  SoutJi  Africa.          117 

"  Ah,  yes  ;  now  how  much  shall  I  give  you 
for  it?  It  lias  a  flaw  in  it,  you  know." 

"  Let  Fingo  boy  see.  Kafir  want  see 
hole  in  diamond." 

"  I  haven't  it  about  me.  It  isn't  safe  to 
have  such  a  stone  around.  I  may  never 
have  a  chance  to  sell  it,"  said  Laure,  firmly, 
looking  at  the  Kafir. 

"  Dat  good  stone,  Ba-a-as.  Bring  big 
money.  Mus'  have  money  fo'  dat." 

''What  have  you  done  with  all  the  money 
I  have  given  you,  Fingo  ?" 

"Me  save  him.     Me  buy  cows,  pony." 

"  It  won't  do  for  you  to  have  so  much 
gold  about  you.  Detectives  will  get  you 
and  put  you  in  the  chain  gang." 

"  Me  hide  it— way  off.      Nobody  find  it !  " 

"  Well  how  much  shall  I  give  you  for  it  ? " 

"  Hunder  pound." 

"  Too  much.  It  isn't  worth  it.  I'll  give 
you  eighty,  or  you  may  come  to-morrow  and 
I'll  give  it  back  to  you,"  said  Laure,  who 
was  pretty  certain  that  the  Kafir  would 
hardly  dare  hunt  for  a  buyer,  as  many  a 
buyer,  though  an  illicit  one,  would  bring 
him  before  the  authorities  and  compel  him 


n8         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

to  disgorge,  simply  to  throw  the  detectives 
off  the  scent  in  regard  to  himself.  The 
Fingo  hesitated  for  a  moment  or  two,  and 
then  accepted  the  offer. 

"  Going  back  to  work  to-day  ? "  asked 
Laure. 

"  No  !  Me  go  way  soon  as  me  sell  'nother 
big  white  diamond  me  hab.  Me  buy  wife, 
get  big  Kraal.  Hab  plenty  ox,  cow,  pony." 

"  You  have  a  wife  now,  haven't  you  ? " 

"Me  hab  two,  three,  four  wife  bime  bye," 
replied  the  Kafir  as  he  held  up  four  fingers. 
"  Me  know  pretty  Kafir  girl:  hoe  corn; 
pound  mealies— cook.  Me  work  no  more. 
Hunt  blesse-bok  ;  ride  pony  ;  smoke  dagga  ; 
hab  good  time  !" 

"  Yes,  that  is  right,  Fingo,  you  must  leave 
the  Fields.  I  will  have  the  money  for  you, 
and  will  meet  you  at — or,  stay.  I  will  put 
it  under  the  rock  where  you  got  the  last. 
But  mind,  don't  stay  round  here  much 
longer,  or  the  police  will  get  you — do  you 
hear  ? " 

"  Kafir  no  fool,  Ba-a-as  Laure.  He  jes'  go 
home  to  his  Kraal.  No  work  more,"  and 
the  Kafir  left  the  room. 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          119 

That  evening  Laure  and  Schwatka  were 
sitting  talking  in  the  library,  when  Dainty 
unexpectedly  approached  the  room.  A  frag 
ment  of  their  conversation  reached  her,  and 
as  the  full  meaning  of  the  words  she  heard 
burst  upon  her,  she  stood  speechless,  half 
hidden  in  the  folds  of  the  curtained  doorway. 

"  Laure,  how  dare  you  carry  on  this  illic 
it  trade  of  buying  diamonds  of  the  Kafirs  ? 
Don't  you  fear  that  they  will  give  you  away 
to  the  detectives  ?"  Schwatka  was  saying. 

"  I  suppose  I  am  in  danger  of  being  trap 
ped,  but  I  am  pretty  sure  of  the  Fingo  who 
sells  me  the  blazers." 

"  You  know  you  are  safe,  as  far  as  I  am 
concerned,"  replied  Schwatka.  "  I  am  think 
ing  what  your  wife  would  do,  if  you  should 
be  caught,  through  the  treachery  of  this 
Fingo.  You  can  never  tell  what  they  will 
not  do  for  money." 

"  That's  true,  but  I  rather  think  my  luck 
won't  go  back  on  me.  I  don't  mind  telling 
you,  that  I  happen  to  know  that  this  Fingo 
has  a  big  diamond  that  T  want,  but  he  asks 
too  much  money  for  it — I  tell  you  it's  a 
beaut}\  These  Kafirs  are  getting  too  know- 


I2O         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

ing  for  us  fellows  ;  they  are  too  well  aware 
of  the  exact  value  of  the  diamonds,  and  we 
have  to  go  slow  with  them." 

"There  are  too  many  risks  in  that  trade 
to  attract  me.  I  say,  Laure,  how  do  you  ex 
pect  to  sell  that  diamond  if  you  get  it  ? " 

"I  shall  probably  keep  it,  until  I  go  to 
Europe.  The  idea  that  an  illicit  or  stolen 
diamond  sells  there  for  half  its  value,  is  non 
sense.  In  Amsterdam,  the  great  European 
market,  a  diamond  sells  according  to  its 
weight  and  purity.  Its  intrinsic  worth  is  all 
that  the  buyer  or  seller  thinks  of.  Look 
at  this  gem." 

As  Donald  said  this,  he  turned  and  caught 
sight  of  Dainty  standing  in  the  doorway. 
She  looked  from  one  to  the  other.  Donald 
cast  his  eyes  guiltily  down,  unable  to  meet 
the  glances  of  the  woman  he  loved  ;  while 
Schwatka  sat  looking  up  into  her  face  with 
his  own  all  aglow,  and  in  an  attitude  that 
suggested  the  ardent  lover  eager  to  shield 
her  from  trouble. 

As  her  eyes  at  last  rested  on  Herr  Schwat 
ka,  in  a  dazed  sort  of  way,  her  heart  gave  one 
bound  and  went  out  to  him. 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          121 


Though 

daily  she  had  met 
the  Austrian  who  had 
so  often  sought  for  opportunities  to  be 
near  her,  though  daily  her  interest  had  be 
come  greater,  and  her  pleasure  in  his 


122         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

presence  increased,  though  sometimes  she 
had  felt  dissatisfaction  as  she  compared  her 
husband  with  him  whom  she  called  her 
friend — yet,  not  until  this  sudden  revelation 
terrified  her,  as  a  sense  of  its  danger  came 
over  her,  did  she  realize  her  actual  feelings. 

Silently  turning,  in  a  half-blinded  way, 
she  left  the  room.  For  a  moment  she  was 
dazed.  Then  the  peril  of  the  situation 
flashed  through  her  mind.  Her  alert,  sav 
age  blood  was  roused  at  last,  and  from  that 
moment  she  lost  her  indolent,  indifferent 
manner.  Never  for  one  moment  was  she 
forgetful  of  the  situation. 

At  any  moment  the  officers  of  the  law 
might  be  on  their  track.  Both  she  and 
Donald  were  henceforth  bound  to  Herr 
Schwatka.  One  by  love — the  other  by  fear. 
Even  the  generosity  of  Schwatka,  should  he 
conceal  Donald's  felony,  made  her  sick  at 
heart — for  discovered,  each  was  a  partner 
in  the  other's  guilt. 

Her  sleep,  once  so  peaceful,  was  fitful  and 
disturbed.  She  asked  of  neither  an  ex 
planation. 

What  to  do,  to  whom  to  turn,  between  her 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         123 

love,  her  duty,  and  her  fears,  was  like  an 
ever-present  nightmare. 

She  had  awakened  to  u  new  life  ;  her  eyes, 
that  until  now  were  soft,  blazed  with  a  fire 
that  had  never  before  been  kindled  in  them. 
Emotions  new  to  her  had  taken  possession 
of  her  mind.  Herr  Schwatka  came  fre 
quently,  as  before,  and,  with  more  eagerness 
than  she  had  ever  looked  for  Donald,  she 
looked  for  him. 

Strange  were  the  mental  experiences  of 
Herr  Schwatka.  He  saw  what  he  desired  to 
see,  that  her  heart  was  his.  But  not  with 
the  triumph  he  would  have  known  had  he 
not  fallen  into  his  own  trap. 

Schwatka,  who  had  coolly  won  more 
hearts  than  he  ever  took  pains  to  count,  was 
enthralled  by  the  powrer  of  Dainty. 

He  felt  he  could  not  harm  her,  though  he 
felt  he  could  not  lose  her.  By  the  power  of 
his  love  he  read  every  passing  thought  as  it 
flitted  over  her  face  ;  and  he  would  willingly 
have  risked  all  his  hope  and  happiness  in 
other  things,  could  he  but  possess  the  life  of 
this  woman— like  a  lamb  in  her  helplessness, 
like  a  young  lioness  in  her  love  of  freedom, 


124         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

and  in  her  rebellion  against  the  chafing  of 
distasteful  bonds. 

As  the  days  passed,  her  restlessness  of 
spirit  increased.  At  last  the  fire  began  to 
consume  the  material  body.  She  grew  thin, 
a  hectic  flush  tinged  her  cheek.  Her  eyes, 
like  great  burning  lamps,  looked  out  upon 
the  world  with  an  unsatisfied  expression 
pitiful  to  behold.  For  a  time  these  new 
emotions  escaped  the  notice  of  Donald,  but 
when  she  began  to  droop,  and  he  perceived 
what  he  feared  might  be  some  malady,  here- 
sorted  to  Dr.  Fox  with  real  anxiety. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Family  Physician. 

ON  entering  the  doctor's  office,  Laure 
found  him  examining  Bela's  eye,  or  rather 
the  part  of  the  face  that  once  contained 
that  valuable  organ. 

"  How  do,  Doctor,"  said  Laure  ;  "  how 
are  you,  Bela  ?  Now  that  you  are  well, 
why  do  you  not  return  to  your  mistress  ?" 

"Missy  don't  want  see  Bela  now  he  got 
only  one  eye." 

"We'll  see  about  that,"  said  Dr.  Fox. 
"Glad  you  came  in,  Laure.  I  was  about 
experimenting  on  the  boy's  eye.  We'll  see 
if  we  can't  send  you  back  to  your  mistress 
with  a  new  optic  !  " 

As  he  said  this  he  lifted  Bela's  eyelid,  and 
in  another  second  the  boy  stood  before  the 
men  with  two  eyes  in  his  head,  though  one 
was  but  a  glass  eye. 


126         An  /,  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

"  Hello  !  "  said  Laure,  "what  hinders  you 
now  from  going  home  to  your  mistress? 
You  are  nearly  as  good-looking  as  you  ever 
were  !  By  the  way,  Doctor,  I  wish  you 
would  drop  in  and  see  Mrs.  Laure.  She 
does  not  look  well." 

"  Sorry  to  hear  that,"  said  the  doctor. 
"  I  will  call  there  this  morning  and  take 
Bela  with  me."  The  two  men  exchanged 
a  few  more  words  and  then  parted.  Some 
hours  later  Bela,  accompanied  by  the  doc 
tor,  entered  his  old  home  dressed  in  a  most 
fantastic  costume,  and  expressed,  in  his  pe 
culiar  way,  the  greatest  joy  at  seeing  his 
mistress,  who  was  well  pleased  to  receive 
him  again.  She  greeted  the  doctor  cor 
dially,  and  was  curious  about  this  new  eye 
of  Bela's. 

"  How  did  you  ever  do  it  ? "  she  asked. 

Pleased  to  see  her  interested,  the  doctor 
slipped  the  shell  that  so  skilfully  simulated 
the  destroyed  organ  of  sight,  and  showed 
her  how  it  was  inserted. 

"It  is  easy  enough.  You  could  do  it 
yourself,"  said  he. 

Dainty  felt  a  childish  desire  to  try.     She 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         127 

had  none  of  that  horror  of  mutilation  that 
most  delicate  women  have,  for  her  life  had 
made  her  familiar  with  the  sight  of  physi 
cal  afflictions.  The  doctor,  though  he  se 
cretly  wondered  at  her  curiosity,  was  will 
ing  to  indulge  it,  and  Dainty  soon  found 
that  she  could  actually  adjust  a  glass  eye 
herself. 

Bela  was  dismissed,  and  her  look  of  in 
terest  gave  place  to  one  of  weariness. 
"  Well,  Mrs.  Laure,  what  is  the  reason  I 
have  not  seen  you  riding  of  late  ?" 

The  blood  flew  to  her  cheeks,  for  she  felt 
that  the  doctor  was  reading  her  heart. 
With  the  desire  that  every  woman  has  to 
guard  her  dearest  secret,  she  said  : 

"  Donald  imagines  I  am  threatened  with 
fever.  It  is  nothing  but  a  feeling  of  home 
sickness.  To  be  sure  my  heart  beats  so  at 
times  that  it  nearly  chokes  me,  but  I  think 
it  will  soon  pass  away.  I  have  been  coax 
ing  Mr.  Laure  to  take  me  away  from  the 
Fields.  I  think  if  I  were  near  the  old  ocean 
once  more  my  health  \voulci  return." 

The  doctor  listened  to  her  voice,  but  he 
only  heard  her  mental  words.  The  words 


128         An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

she  framed  with  her  lips  did  not  conceal 
the  cause  of  her  distress.  We  think  to  de 
ceive  the  world  when  we  talk  to  cover  our 
feelings,  but  how  rarely  do  we  succeed  with 
the  good  and  true.  The  soul  sits  in  the 
silence.  Its  influences  are  silent  influences, 
and  its  voice  soft  and  gentle.  So,  as  it  is 
attuned  to  stillness,  it  hears  other  soul 
voices  when  in  harmony  with  it,  and  it  dis 
cerns  the  truth  with  unerring  judgment. 

Dr.  Fox  had  diagnosed  mental  struggles 
until  it  had  become  second  nature  to  him 
to  read  the  thoughts  of  his  patients.  He 
had  also  been  keenly  alive  to  the  infatuation 
of  Herr  Schwatka  for  Mrs.  Laure,  and  when 
she  alluded  to  a  weakness  of  the  heart,  he 
asked  : 

"  Have  you  anything  on  your  mind  that 
worries  you?"  She  caught  her  breath  for 
a  second,  and  the  doctor  read  in  her  hesi 
tancy  the  true  answer,  though  she  replied  : 

"Oh,  no." 

"  I  will  leave  you  a  few  powders,  though 
a  change  of  scene  would  do  you  more  good 
than  any  medicine  I  might  prescribe.  You 
need  to  get  out  and  away  from  accustomed 


, 


130         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

places.  You  are  stagnating.  Your  mind 
is  travelling  in  a  circle,  and  your  thoughts 
dwell  too  much  on  yourself,  which  always 
produces  an  unsatisfactory  mental,  as  well 
as  physical  condition.  I  sometimes  advise 
my  lady  patients,  when  they  are  the  subject 
of  their  own  thoughts,  to  think  of  me.  A 
crusty  old  bachelor  is  so  radical  a  change, 
and  so  hard  a  subject  that  it  has  succeeded 
admirably  in  curing  some  of  them,  who  only 
needed  variety."  This  last  remark  brought 
a  smile  to  Dainty's  face. 

"Yet  I  advise  them  not  to  overdo  the 
remedy  lest  they  think  too  much  of  me.  I 
am  extremely  cautious,  Mrs.  Laure." 

Dainty  smiled  again.  Sentiment  and  the 
doctor  seemed  so  absurd  a  combination  to 
her.  He  was  kind-hearted,  but  to  think  of 
him  as  an  awakener  of  love — Ah !  love 
brought  to  her  mind  another.  She  blushed, 
stopped,  and  thought  of  the  doctor.  It  was  a 
good  remedy.  He  was  looking  at  her.  She 
felt  a  mixture  of  discomfort  and  a  desire 
to  tell  him  how  great  was  her  heartache. 
Had  he  asked  her  her  secret,  she  would 
have  told  him.  He  divined  her  confidential 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         131 

mood,  but  asked  nothing.  It  is  sometimes 
wise  to  be  ignorant.  If  the  family  physi 
cian  should  divulge  the  secrets  of  the  inner 
life  of  the  social  sphere  in  which  he  moves, 
what  a  shattered  world  would  we  live  in  ! 
The  life  of  a  hermit  would  at  once  hold 
irresistible  charms  for  many. 

What  an  innocent  and  ignorant  violater 
of  social  and  marital  laws  wras  Dainty  !  But 
ignorance  and  innocence  are  not  as  beauti 
ful  qualities  as  knowledge  and  purity. 
With  the  former,  life  is  but  drifting;  with 
the  latter,  it  is  anchored  to  a  rock. 

The  doctor  realized  that  Dainty  was  drift 
ing.  He  had  seen  many  another  woman 
drift,  only  to  be  broken  against  the  rocks  on 
bleak  unknown  shores  ;  later  he  had  seen 
the  wreck  washed  up  lying  on  the  sands 
of  life,  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  gap 
ing  curiosity-seeker,  and  to  his  careless 
comments.  Would  this  beautiful  creature, 
wounded  almost  to  death,  be  another  wreck 
noted  by  pitying  angels,  and  filling  a  sorrow 
ful  page  in  the  book  of  Time  ?  Not  if  he 
could  help  guide  her.  Ah  !  if  our  impulses 
are  in  the  direction  of  the  good,  we  know 


132         An  L  D.  J3.  in  South  Africa. 

not  how  soon  we  may  be  given  the  opportu 
nity  to  guide  a,  frail  bark  clear  of  some 
threatening  rock,  into  smiling  waters,  and 
under  summer  skies  !  The  doctor's  oppor 
tunity  came  sooner  than  he  anticipated. 

4<  I  will  call  in  again,  Mrs.  Laure,"  said  he, 
rising.  "  I  have  to  see  a  patient  a  few  hours' 
ride  from  here,  and  on  my  return,  will  tell 
Mr.  Laure  that  he  must  take  you  to  England. 
I  am  expecting  to  go  home  for  a  short  trip 
this  summer,  I  need  a  change,  too.  One 
gets  rusty  living  in  Africa  without  a  sight 
of  other  lands." 

He  took  her  little  hand  in  his,  gave  it  a 
quick,  firm,  friendly  grasp,  that  seemed  to 
say  :  "  I  know  all  about  your  trouble. 
Everything  will  come  out  all  right."  Aloud 
he  said  :  "  You  must  stop  thinking  about 
yourself,"  and  left  the  house. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  You  have  made  me  your  Prisoner." 

DAINTY,  left  alone,  smiled  in  mockery. 
"  Stop  thinking  !  "  As  if  she  could  ! 

She  was  innocent  of  any  intentional 
wrong  toward  her  husband,  but  oh  !  that 
world,  that  real  world  of  hers — her  thoughts. 

Even  in  the  midst  of  her  self-upbraiding, 
her  rebel  thoughts  would  break  loose,  and 
reach  out  toward  the  man  she  loved.  It 
was  the  ecstacy  of  a  Heaven,  blended  with 
the  agony  of  a  Hell. 

The  shuttle  of  love  that  winds  and  weaves 
an  unseen  thread,  had  bound  her  heart  in 
bond  so  firm,  that  to  break  it  seemed  like 
breaking  the  thread  of  life.  Would  that  she 
could  see  how  near  the  fate  stood  that  would 
cut  that  thread!  She  felt  that  the  new 
love  which  had  sprung  to  a  giant's  strength 
within  her  heart,  was  doing  cruel  injustice 


134         An  I*  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


to   the    loyal    heart  of  her   husband.     She 
wished  to  be  true  to  herself,  and  that  meant 
true  to  Donald.     Was  he  not  truth  itself  to 
her  ?     But   she    had   no   strength   to   fight 
against    the    power   which 
Schwatka  exerted 
over    her,     and 
thoughts    of 


him  held 
her  prison 
er  as   she  lay 
on  her  divan  moaning  like 
a  helpless  wounded  doe. 
At  this  moment  Herr  Schwatka  entered 
the   room.     As    he   approached,  their   eyes 
met  in  one  long  look,  and  as  if  mesmerized, 
their   lips    met    in   a  kiss   that  annihilated 
time  and  space,  and  that  for  Dainty  rent 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          135 

asunder  all  other  bonds.  Centuries  of  time 
were  lived  in  that  one  kiss.  She  had  been 
long  married,  but  not  until  now  was  she 
mated. 

At  last  time  began  again  to  beat  out  to 
the  lovers  those  seconds  and  moments  of 
which  they  had  been  too  oblivious. 

"  Dainty,"  said  he,  "  I  can  no  longer  en 
dure  to  see  you  bear  toward  another  the 
relation  of — wife.  I  came  to-day  to  tell 
you  that  I  leave  Kimberley  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  I  know  that  I  have  been  a 
coward  to  remain  here  and  see  you  suffer 
for  my  sake,  but  the  strength  of  love  has 
been  my  weakness,  and  has  chained  me  to 
your  side.  My  beloved,  life  without  you  is 
worth  to  me  not  a  puff  of  smoke  ;  if  I  re 
main  here  longer  I  shall  become  a  danger 
ous  enemy  to  your  husband.  He  stands  be 
tween  you  and  me  ;  therefore  I  go  away. 
Absence  sometimes  brings  forgetfulness. 
The  memory  of  your  dearly  beautiful  face, 
of  your  soulful  eyes — ah  !  What  shall  I  do  ! 
— I  cannot,  I  cannot  tear  myself  from  you  !" 

He  sank  on  his  knees  by  her  side,  and 
laid  his  head  on  her  shoulder,  a  man  given 


136         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

over  to  the  longings  of  a  great  love,  without 
hope  therein. 

She  was  now  the  stronger  of  the  two. 
How  often  do  we  see  the  dumb  animal  side, 
in  the  strongest  nature,  assert  itself  when  it 
lays  its  head  on  the  heart  of  a  frail  woman 
for  comfort. 

What  is  that  power  which  enchains  men 
and  women  for  a  season  when  death  itself 
would  be  preferable  to  the  bitter  sweetness 
which  fills  the  soul.  The  heart  never  en 
tirely  recovers,  though  by  and  by  the  pain 
is  a  dull  heavy  sorrow  as  for  a  loved  one 
buried  long  ago  ?  We  pity  ourselves  then, 
to  think  that  it  is  possible  for  us  to  so 
change. 

Dainty  could  not  move  hand  or  foot,  her 
eyes  looked  as  if  tears  lay  behind  in  the 
veiled  depths,  in  sacred  sympathy  with  the 
soul,  in  the  throes  of  an  agony  which  few 
are  capable  of  understanding. 

Great  beads  of  perspiration  stood  on  her 
brow  ;  she  tried  to  speak,  but  ended  in  an 
incoherent  whisper.  Her  lover  recognized 
the  suffering  of  her  soul,  akin  to  his  own, 
and  wiped  the  cold  dews  away  with  a  holy 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          137 

touch.  There  was  no  flaming  consuming 
passion  in  his  touch.  How  strange  was  this 
in  a  nature  like  Herr  Schwatka's !  It  was 
one  of  the  marvels  of  love  that  it  could  pu 
rify  the  impulses  and  purposes  of  such  a 
man,  not  used  to  live  above  the  moral  plane 
of  the  careless  man  of  the  world.  He  might 
easily  have  wrought  ruin  in  the  life  of  this 
unsophisticated  woman,  who  could  not,  in 
one  remove  from  savage  ancestry,  grow 
away  from  the  tendency  of  love  to  follow  its 
own,  regardless  of  consequences.  So  had 
her  mother  done.  Raising  herself,  and 
looking  him  steadfastly  in  the  eyes,  she 
slowly  said,  in  an  earnest  whisper : 

"  If  you  go,  I  go  with  you." 

"  No,  no,  Dainty,  I  love  you  too  truly  to 
let  you  live  to  repent  anything  for  my  sake. 
Donald  will  not  return  to  you  until  even 
ing.  I  must  go  while  I  have  any  manliness 
left,  or  we  will  both  live  to  repent  it." 

There  was  silence  for  a  few  moments,  and 
then  he  hesitatingly  said  : 

"  I  want  to  make  a  confession,  sweet 
heart,  that  will  help  to  ease  my  pain."  He 
stopped  and  his  bosom  heaved  with  emo- 


138         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

tion.  "  It  is  that — I  was  fascinated  by  you, 
and  your  untamed  ways,  so  different  from 
what  I  had  ever  known,  and  I  thought  you 
would  be  a  pastime  to  me.  See  what  mis 
ery  my  wrong  has  wrought  to  both.  You 
are  the  one  woman  in  the  world  stronger 
than  I,  who  thought  myself  invincible.  You 
have  made  me  your  prisoner." 

Anger  against  her  fate  began  to  rise 
within  her  heart,  and  strange  thoughts 
surged  and  swelled  through  her  throbbing 
brain.  She  spoke  with  wild  determina 
tion  : 

"  Listen.  Donald  is  keeping  some  great 
secret  from  me,  and  although  he  has  no 
suspicion  of  the  love  existing  between  you 
and  me,  his  life  is  as  separated  from  mine 
as  if  we  were  living  in  different  continents. 
My  life  is  my  own,  and  if  you  leave  me,  I 
follow." 

"  No,  no,  my  beloved,''  cried  Schwatka. 

Dainty  continued  in  the  same  voice  : 

"You  cannot  change  me  now.  Bela," call 
ing  to  her  servant,  "have  the  horses  har 
nessed  to  the  cart  at  once,  I  am  going  for  a 
drive.  Now,"  turning  to  Schwatka,  "  leave 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         139 

me.  I  have  not  the  strength  to  bear  your 
presence  longer.  I  shall  be  at  the  meeting 
of  the  roads,"  naming  a  spot  about  five 
hours  distant,  "and  will  meet  you  there." 

"  No,  no,"  said  he,  mournfully  but  firmly. 
"Here  I  bid  you  farewell."  He  laid  his 
hand  on  her  shoulder.  "  When  you  cease 
to  think  of  me  as  a  lover,  hold  my  memory 
kindly  as  your  saviour." 

His  hand  fell  from  her  shoulder  slowly 
down  her  beautiful  arm,  till  it  reached  the 
little  firmly-knit  hand,  which  he  held  a  pris 
oner  for  a  few  seconds,  then  tenderly 
raised  to  his  lips.  In  another  moment  he 
had  gone. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  Friend  in  Deed. 

NOT  for  a.  moment  was  Dainty's  deter 
mination  shaken  by  the  action  of  Scliwat- 
ka.  So  full  of  magnetic  fire  she  had  never 
been  disciplined  to  control ;  had  love  been 
sooner  enkindled,  she  would  but  sooner 
have  leaped  into  its  flame,  whether  it  meant 
warmth  or  destruction.  Many  women  of 
her  nature,  live  and  die  ignorant  of  love. 
Are  they  more  blest  for  the  ignorance  ? 

Turning  to  her  dressing-case,  in  which 
were  her  diamonds  and  costly  jewels,  she 
looked  at  them,  and  in  another  moment  she 
replaced  the  casket.  She  rapidly  dressed 
for  the  journey,  and  ordered  Bela  to  pack 
a  small  trunk  with  necessary  and  sufficient 
apparel,  and  take  it  to  the  Cape  cart  wait 
ing  at  the  door.  These  things  were  quickly 
done  by  the  silent,  swiftly-moving  Bush- 
in  an,, 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          141 

Trembling  with  excitement  she  followed 
the  Bushman,  and  got  into  the  cart.  As 
they  drove 
away,  she 
gave  one 
backward 
glance  at 


the  home  where  she 
:F?      had   lived    so    peacefully 
with    Donald.     Nerving   herself,    she    bade 
Bela  hasten. 

When  they  had  reached  the  edge  of  the 


142         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

town,  she  seized  the  reins,  and  with  a 
strength  born  of  excitement,  urged  the 
horses  on  with  a  frenzy  that  caused  Bela  to 
give  his  mistress  a  look  of  wonder. 

Her  thoughts  had  been  too  long  busy 
with  her  work  to  think  of  anything  further, 
until  now,  with  the  motion  of  the  revolving 
wheels,  and  the  speeding  horses,  a  sense  of 
liberty  took  possession  of  her. 

She  was  free  !  Away  over  the  veldt  she 
flew,  the  horses  seeming  to  become  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  their  mistress,  which  gave 
impulse  to  their  fast-flying  feet.  This  sense 
of  freedom  was  a  reaction  from  the  sense 
of  captivity,  of  late  so  strongly  upon  her. 

Two  hours  or  more  flew  by,  before  she 
gave  a  thought  to  the  scenes  through  which 
she  was  passing.  A  weary  waste  of  sandy, 
desert  road  ;  a  treeless  veldt  covered  sparse 
ly  with  a  coarse  grass  ;  a  dreary  farmhouse 
in  the  distance  surrounded  by  a  few  trees, 
was  a  joyless  picture  to  look  upon. 

Bela  sat  silent,  watching  the  horses  and 
the  flying  cart,  but  immovable  as  a  statue. 
When  the  native  becomes  attached  to  his 
mistress,  he  accepts  everything  from  the 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          143 

"  Inkosa"  whom  he  regards  as  a  queen. 
Dainty's  strength  was  ebbing  fast,  but 
with  superhuman  effort  she  rallied  all  her 
energies,  and,  when  she  saw  a  horseman  in 
the  distance,  called  to  her  aid  her  most  lan 
guorous  and  indifferent  manner,  reined  in 
her  rapid  steeds  and  handed  the  reins  to 
Bela.  As  the  man  drew  near,  to  her  dismay 
she  recognized  Dr.  Fox,  who  was  returning 
from  his  patient.  As  he  rode  up  to  the 
cart,  an  expression  of  amazement  spread 
over  his  face.  When  he  stopped  his  horse 
to  speak  to  her,  she  ordered  Bela  to  stop, 
also. 

"Good  afternoon,  Mrs.  Laure.  You  have 
greatly  improved  since  I  saw  you  this  morn 
ing.  I  scarcely  thought  you  well  enough 
to  venture  so  long  a  drive.  Is  it  health  or 
pleasure  you  seek  ?  " 

Dainty  was  as  white  as  the  dead  are.  She 
trembled  before  this  man's  honest  way  of 
asking  questions.  Her  strength,  until  now 
fed  by  excitement,  left  her,  and  her  tongue 
refused  to  move,  though  her  lips  parted  in 
the  effort. 

The  agony  that  convulsed  her  frame  was 


144         A)l  I.  D.  B-  in-  South  Africa. 

depicted  on  her  face,  and  she  shook  like 
one  with  ague.  What  should  she  say  ? 
The  doctor  perceived  that  here  was  some 
awful  crisis.  He  rose  to  the  occasion. 

"  Do  not  speak.  Try  to  calm  yourself," 
said  he.  Dismounting,  he  took  Bela's 
place  in  the  cart,  and  putting  his  horse  in 
the  Bushman's  keeping,  told  him  to  follow 
them  to  town.  He  then  gathered  up  the 
reins  and  wheeled  the  horses  homeward. 
They  were  no  sooner  turned,  than  Dainty, 
unable  to  support  herself,  dropped  her  head 
on  the  doctor's  shoulder. 

"Mrs.  Laure,  I  see  that  you  are  in  distress. 
I  ask  you  nothing,  every  woman  in  trouble 
is  my  sister.  That's  right,  let  those  wells 
in  your  eyes  run  dry.  It  would  have  done 
you  good  if  they  had  run  over  many  days 
earlier."  To  himself  the  doctor  continued  : 

"  We  men  have  a  great  deal  to  answer 
for.  Will  we  never  learn  to  spare  the  beau 
tiful  butterflies  whose  lives  we  so  wantonly 
break  ?  If  women  only  knew  men,  as  men 
know  each  other,  there  would  be  more 
missionary  work  done  before  marriage.  In 
fact  home  missionaries  do  not  appreciate 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          145 

their  opportunities,  for  most  of  us  are  hea 
thens  !  " 

The  doctor  slackened  the  reins,  and  the 
horses  their  pace,  as  they  were  ascending 
a  hill,  at  the  summit  of  which  he  saw  a 
cart  driven  by  Schwatka  rapidly  approach 
ing.  The  doctor's  gray  eyes  shot  fire,  his 
mouth  set  firmly  under  his  brown  mus 
tache,  and  giving  the  horse  a  sharp  cut 
with  the  whip,  he  passed  Schwatka  with  a 
jovial,  "  How  are  you  ? "  that  had  a  ring 
in  it  that  sounded  like  "  Check  ! " 

Dainty  half  rose,  gave  one  little  heart 
broken  moan,  and  sunk  back  into  the  cor 
ner  of  the  seat.  The  doctor  drove  home  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  they  were  soon  at 
the  house,  which  Dainty  had  but  lately  left, 
expecting  never  to  return.  He  gently 
lifted  her  out  of  the  cart  and  carried  her  in 
to  the  house.  His  presence  was  soothing 
to  her  spirit,  and  before  he  left  the  house 
she  was  wrapped  in  a  sound  sleep.  She 
needed  rest,  for  her  day  was  not  ended. 

10 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Detectives, 

AT  dinner  that  evening,  Donald's  mind 
was  fortunately  too  preoccupied  to  note  the 
haggard  face  of  the  little  woman  sitting  op 
posite.  They  were  scarcely  seated,  when 
from  the  window  she  saw  two  men  come 
into  the  yard  and  enter  the  kitchen.  Turn 
ing  she  whispered  one  word  : 

"Detectives  !" 

Dainty  had  no  suspicion  of  his  having 
diamonds  on  his  person,  until  he  dropped 
his  knife,  and  sat  pale  and  nerveless.  Leap 
ing  from  her  seat,  she  flew  to  his  side,  thrust 
her  hand  into  one  pocket  and  another,  until 
she  drew  forth  a  large  diamond.  In  another 
second  she  was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.  What  should  she  do  with  it  ?  Where 
should  she  hide  it,  from  those  sharp-eyed 
hunters  ?  There  was  no  spot  in  the  room 
that  would  not  be  searched. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         147 

There  was  a  rent  in  the  wall  paper  through 
which  she  felt  tempted  to  slip  it  !  The  sec 
onds  were  flying.  In  another  moment  those 
men  would  open  that  door  and  all  would  be 
lost !  She  could  almost  have  annihilated 
time  and  space,  so  greatly  was  her  mentality 
strained  and  quickened.  In  turning  to  look 
once  more,  with  a  sickening  despair  striking 
her  vitals,  her  glance  fell  on  Bela,  standing 
perfectly  rigid  with  terror. 

Quick  as  thought  she  flew  to  the  Bush 
man,  and  placing  her  finger  on  his  eye, 
lifted  the  lid,  took  out  that  glass  eye,  slipped 
the  diamond  in,  and  returned  the  eye  to  its 
place.  Then  turning  to  her  husband,  pant 
ing,  she  whispered  : 

"  Where  did  you  get  that  diamond  ?  " 

He  collected  his  scattered  senses  and 
feebly  answered  : 

"The  Fingo  boy."  She  sank  on  her  chair  a 
seemingly  indifferent,  indolent  houri,  as  the 
door  flew  open  and  the  detectives  entered. 

"Good  afternoon,  gentlemen,"  said 
Dainty  in  a  steady  voice,  but  with  a  question 
ing  look,  as  if  she  wondered  at  the  strange 
hour  and  abrupt  entrance  of  visitors. 


148         An  /.  D.  J3.  in  South  Africa. 

"  Sorry  to  disturb  your  dinner,  madam," 
said  one  of  the  men,  "  but  we  have  traced  a 
marked  diamond  here  ;  and  must  search  for 
it." 

"  Why  do  you  search  here  ? "  said  Donald, 
haughtily. 

"  Hush,  Donald  !  I  suppose  nothing  we 
could  say  would  hinder  them,"  said  Dainty, 
calmly. 

Her  coolness  and  her  smile  won  the  evi 
dent  admiration  of  the  men  for  a  moment ; 
but  yet  brusquely  spoke  one  of  them  : 

''Nothing,  madam,"  and  immediately  the 
search  began.  Again  Donald  spoke  : 

"Gentlemen,  I  have  no  diamonds  about 
me." 

"Perhaps  not,  sir!  But  it  is  our  business 
to  make  sure  of  it,"  said  one  detective  as  he 
deftly  began  a  personal  search. 

Nothing  coming  to  light,  they  seemed 
puzzled,  for  they  had  bribed  the  Fingo  boy 
that  day  to  sell  the  diamond  to  Donald,  and 
knowing  he  had  bought  it  within  the  hour, 
thought  to  find  it  on  him.  Then  they  ran 
sacked  the  house.  Carpets  were  torn  up 
and  furniture  ripped  open. 


An  I.  D.  B.  ill  South  Africa.          149 

They  even  thrust  their  hands  through  the 
rent  in  the  wall  paper  and  felt  on  the  ground 
below  ;  but  their  search  was  fruitless. 

They  next  closely  inspected  Dainty,  her 
hair  was  combed,  and  her  clothing  handled 
unceremoniously  by  one  man,  while  the 
other  took  Donald  into  custody.  So  sure 
were  they  that  he  had  the  diamond,  that 
when  the  gem  could  not  be  found  on  the 
man  or  the  premises,  they  had  no  hesitation 
in  arresting  him,  and  stationing  the  police  to 
watch  the  house.  But  it  was  not  so  well 
watched,  as  to  prevent  that  keen  bright 
woman  from  eluding  their  vigilance. 

Bela  stood  like  a  stone  image  with  his  one 
eye  fastened  on  his  mistress,  and  the  other 
eye  holding  the  honor  or  disgrace  of  her  hus 
band.  Nothing  could  have  made  him  dis 
close  the  secret. 

As  the  officers  left  the  house  with  Donald, 
her  every  sense  was  alert,  and  ready  to  spring 
to  action. 

What  to  do  next  ?  The  diamond  was  safe. 
She  must  find  that  Fingo  boy  who  had  sold 
Donald  the  diamond,  and  put  him  out  of  the 
way.  With  the  keener  sense  which  she  pos- 


150         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 


sessed  as  a  birthright,  with 
that  black  blood  in  her  veins, 
her  woman's  wit  came  to  her 
assistance,  and  she  re 
solved  to  foil  the 
bloodhounds  of 
the  law. 


She  remem 
bered  a  suit 
she  had  prepared 
as  a  gift  to  a  favorite 
Malay  boy.  It  hung 
in  her  closet,  not  yet  be 
stowed  upon  its  future  owner.  With  fever 
ish  haste  she  secured  it,  and  dressed  her- 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          151 

self  in  it.  The  soft  gay  handkerchief  she 
tied  around  her  head,  and  over  this  placed 
the  hat.  She  had  smiled  at  the  odd  cos 
tume  when  she  had  first  made  it  ready, 
but  she  did  not  smile  now,  nor  at  her  ap 
pearance  in  it.  She  only  felt  joy  in  the  dis 
guise. 

Now— how  to  pass  the  guards  ! 

It  was  desperate  business.  She  called 
Bela — trusty  fellow  !  He  must  help.  The 
Bushman  started  at  sight  of  her,  and  only 
the  voice  assured  him  it  was  really  she. 

"  Bela,"  said  she,  "  I  must  get  away  for  a 
while  and  you  must  help  me.  Do  you  go 
out  to  the  gate,  and  when  the  guards  stop 
you,  keep  them  as  long  as  you  can.  I  will 
run  another  way  and  try  to  get  out  of  sight. 
They  will  send  you  back,  of  course." 

The  Bushman  started  on  his  mission. 
Dainty  watched  him  concealed  in  the 
shadow  of  the  house.  The  guards  stopped 
him  as  she  had  thought.  It  was  growing 
rapidly  dark.  She  heard  the  authoritative 
voices  of  the  guards,  and  the  stupid  answers 
of  Bela.  Dashing  at  right  angles  from  the 
scene,  she  scaled  the  fence  unobserved,  and 


152         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

rapidly  left  the  unsuspecting  guards  trying 
to  convince  Bela  that  it  would  not  do. 
When  he  finally  submitted,  the  outwitted 
officers  congratulated  themselves  on  their 
vigilance.  So  was  the  first  step  accom 
plished! 

Now  to  find  her  stalwart  driver  and  order 
her  cart  and  horses.  She  had  gone  scarce 
one  hundred  yards  when,  to  her  unspeaka 
ble  joy  and  surprise,  she  found  the  servant 
going  toward  home.  It  was  with  difficulty 
she  made  him  know  his  mistress;  ordering 
him  to  meet  her  at  a  particular  spot,  she 
hurried  on. 

Rapidly  passing  to  the  Kafir  location, 
where  she  felt  she  should  find  the  Fingo,  she 
walked  fearlessly  into  the  first  hut.  Hut 
after  hut  was  visited,  and  inquiries,  made 
of  one  and  another  inmate  in  her  awakened 
savage  mood,  and  in  the  native  language, 
as  to  where  the  boy  lay. 

As  she  shook  each  sleeping  body,  the 
very  manner  of  her  action,  and  the  tone  of 
frenzy  in  which  she  addressed  them,  so 
impressed  them,  that  they  answered  wheth 
er  they  would  or  not.  She  walked  on  and 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          153 

on,  until  the  last  hut,  the  farthest  from 
probable  detection  was  reached,  and  there, 
lying  between  two  other  Kafirs,  she  found 
him. 

With  superhuman  strength  she  dragged 
him  out.  By  this  time  her  fury  had  reached 
such  a  pitch  that,  to  be  rid  of  her  clutch 
was  like  shaking  off  the  claws  of  a  wild 
cat. 

Hurrying  him  forward  in  breathless 
haste,  she  reached  the  place  where  the  cart 
stood  waiting.  Hustling  him  into  it,  she 
held  him  with  her  woman's  hands  while  the 
driver  tied  him  securely  down.  Then,  seiz 
ing  the  reins,  she  ordered  her  servant  to 
wait  her  return,  and  drove  swiftly  away. 

She  pierced  the  dark  with  savage  instinct 
for  there  was  no  road  to  guide  her.  The 
dangerous  holes  with  which  the  veldt  is 
studded  did  not  lie  in  her  path. 

Her  anger  rose  as  the  horses  sped  along. 
To  her  excited  nerves  their  rapid  pace  was 
too  slow,  and  she  whipped  them  into  a  wild 
galop  all  the  way,  for  she  must  be  home 
before  sun  up. 

Her  fury  was  intense,  and  she  would  turn 


154         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

to  the  Fingo  cowering  in  the  corner  of  the 
seat,  in  a  sort  of  mad  way,  that  made  him 
shrink  with  terror.  Every  time  she  looked 
at  him  she  would  urge  her  horses  to  addi 
tional  speed  by  lashings  of  the  whip,  until 
they  were  nearly  as  mad  as  their  mistress. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

One  of  Eves  Daughters. 

AT  last,  in  the  dead  of  night,  she  reached 
the  house  of  an  Afrikander  whom  she  had 
once  befriended,  and  on  whom  she  could 
rely.  Him  she  awakened  by  blowing  a  bugle 
which  had  lain  at  her  feet.  He  came  out  to 
her,  and  listened  to  the  strange  tale  which 
she  hastily  repeated,  with  the  usual  unmov 
ed  countenance  of  the  Afrikander.  He  was 
ready  enough  to  help  her  to  dispose  of  her 
terror-stricken  prisoner.  These  Cape  peo 
ple  have  a  way  of  their  own  of  disposing  of 
anything  disagreeable,  which  strikes  the 
stranger  as  peculiar,  but  effective. 

Obeying  her  orders,  he  took  him  to  a 
lonely  hut,  and  chained  him  fast.  It  was 
the  Fingo's  fate  to  remain  there  until  danger 
to  Donald  was  past.  When  she  saw  that 
the  captive  was  where  he  could  do  her  hus- 


156         An  I.  D.  7?.  in  South  Africa. 

band  no  harm,  she  handed  a  purse  to  the 
Afrikander  and  turned  her  horses'  heads 
homeward,  with  a  sense  of  relief. 

Her  fury  had  abated,  but  not  her  courage. 
Alone,  and  fearless,  she  returned  over  the 
veldt,  until,  exhausted,  she  arrived  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  just  as  the  day  was 
dawning,  and  descended  from  her  cart,  leav 
ing  it  in  the  hands  of  her  tireless  waiting 
servant.  She  then  turned  homeward,  now 
on  foot.  The  fatigue  of  the  watch  had  re 
laxed  the  vigilance  of  the  guard,  and  they 
expected  nothing  from  beyond  the  premises. 
So  by  care  she  was  able  to  regain  the  sha 
dow  of  the  house  and  to  make  safe  entrance. 

Closing  the  door,  the  graceful  Malay  be 
came  transformed  into  a  tearful,  trembling, 
exhausted  woman.  She  doffed  her  male 
attire,  donned  a  soft,  silken,  clinging  robe, 
and  sunk  on  a  couch  with  a  feeling  of  utter 
weakness.  Fate,  she  thought,  had  overtaken 
her,  and  she  felt  herself  hopelessly  en 
tangled  in  the  intricacies  of  Donald's  pos 
sible  disaster.  But  she  had  shown  her  de 
votion  as  a  wife,  in  her  wild  and  dangerous 
midnight  ride.  Why  had  she  ever  met 


Aii  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          157 

Donald  ?  Why  had  she  not  been  left  to  live 
her  uneventful  life?  "Oh,"  she  sighed,  "to 
hide  in  the  depths  of  some  great  forest  and 
there  lie  down  in  peace  to  die."  Then  her 
thoughts  reverted  to  Schwatka,  who  was 
seldom  out  of  her  mind.  Donald  with  his 
hidden  secret  had  estranged  her.  When  we 
are  no  longer  worthy  of  confidence,  we  lose 
confidence  in  others. 

A  remnant  of  the  old  self  that  had  been 
Donald's — her  pride  in  his  good  name  was 
still  left.  In  secreting  the  diamond,  she 
sought  to  shield  her  husband's  name  from 
disgrace.  Beyond  this  pride,  the  rest  was 
indifference,  and  nothing  henceforth  could 
kindle  any  warmer  flame,  while  the  new 
fires  of  another  love  burned  at  such  a  white 
heat,  that  they  threatened  to  consume  the 
temple  in  which  their  altars  stood. 

The  mental  strain  of  the  last  twenty-four 
hours  had  completely  prostrated  her.  Soon 
all  became  a  blank,  and  she  lay  for  hours 
unconscious  ;  when  she  awoke  her  brain 
slowly  resumed  its  action.  She  passed  her 
hand  wearily  over  her  head.  Where  was 
she  ?  What  was  it  ?  Ah,  yes.  She  re  mem- 


158         An  I.D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

bered.  and  rang  for  Bela.  He  did  not  an 
swer  the  call.  Calling  a  second  time,  and 
receiving  no  response,  she  sat  up,  lost  in 
thought. 

What  was  the  immediate  work  before 
her  ?  To  find  Bela  must  be  her  first  act,  for 
he  had  the  diamond  !  She  ran  out  of  the 
room  into  the  next  and  searched  every 
where,  thinking  he  must  be  in  hiding. 
Calling  again,  and  receiving  no  answer,  she 
realized  that  there  was  not  a  servant  on  the 
place. 

Action  was  now  a  luxury.  Real  danger 
was  in  the  air.  If  nothing  could  be  proved 
against  her  husband,  when  would  he  re 
turn  ? 

With  all  these  thoughts  surging  through 
her  brain,  it  seemed  as  if  her  head  would 
burst.  As  she  tottered  back  toward  the  bed 
room,  the  door  opened,  and  she  swooned  in 
Donald's  arms. 

Donald  saw  that  she  had  been  passing 
through  some  terrible  agony.  He  groaned 
and  covered  her  face  with  kisses,  as  he  laid 
her  gently  on  the  couch  and  applied  resto 
ratives.  When  she  regained  consciousness, 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         159 


her  eyes  fell  on  Donald.  She  turned  her 
head  away  from  him  with  a  weary  motion. 
Here  were  two  people  chained  to  each  other 


160         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

by  the  bond  of  marriage,  but  whose  ways 
lay  far  apart.  Love  held  Donald  captive, 
while  fate  bound  Dainty  to  Donald. 

Suddenly  she  rose  from  her  couch,  and 
began  to  tell  him  of  her  night  ride.  As  she 
continued,  he  looked  at  her  in  amazement. 
Her  self  sufficiency,  her  fearlessness,  under 
the  utterly  listless  manner  in  which  she  told 
it  all,  made  her  seem  like  a  new  being  to  him. 

Woman  needs  but  to  taste  the  fruit  of  the 
tree  of  knowledge,  to  become  an  epicure. 
Dainty  had  been  wandering  in  the  fields  of 
Paradise  with  an  Adam  who  was  not  Don 
ald,  and  Donald  would  no  more  be  her  com 
panion,  though  he  might  stay  by  her  side. 

"If  Bela  does  not  return  to-day,  we  must 
leave  the  country,  unless  you  are  willing  to 
work  in  convict  dress." 

He  sank  lower  in  his  chair,  before  reply 
ing  in  a  scarce  audible  voice  : 

"  Where  shall  we  go  ?  " 

She  looked  at  him  in  amazement  as  she 
said  : 

"  To  England,  of  course.  Where  else 
should  you  go  ?  "  He  kept  his  hand  over 
his  eyes  as  he  replied  : 


An  1.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          161 

"  I  had  thought  we  might  wish  to  go  to 
Australia." 

"  Australia  !  Why  there,  instead  of  Eng 
land  ?  Do  you  not  care  to  see  your  native 
land  ? " 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Donald,  hurriedly,  "only 
I  did  not  know  as  you — you  cared  to  go  to 
England  in  winter." 

This  seemed  to  satisfy  Dainty,  who  \vear- 
ily  closed  her  eyes  and  said  : 

"It  matters  little  to  me  whether  it  is  sum 
mer  or  winter,  so  long  as  I  get  away  from 
here."  She  said  no  more,  but  lay  unmoved 
with  eyes  closed.  Donald  moodily  watched 
her.  Presently  he  saw  that  she  slept  the 
sleep  of  exhaustion, 
ii 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

On  the  Heights. 

BLOEMFONTEIN,  the  beautiful.  Have  you 
seen  Bloemfontein  ?  No  ?  Well  you  must 
do  so  before  you  leave  Africa.  In  this  love 
ly  place,  its  streets  shaded  by  trees,  whose 
luxurious  foliage  is  kept  in  perennial  ver 
dure  by  purling  streams,  had  Kate  Darcy 
chosen  a  resting-place.  What  a  change  from 
the  dirty,  dusty,  noisy  Fields,  with  streets 
filled  with  hungry  worshippers  of  Mammon, 
to  this  crystallized  mirage,  for  one  would 
scarcely  realize  that  so  beautiful  a  garden 
could  rise  out  of  a  desert,  except  in  imagi 
nation. 

Here  in  the  midst  of  a  garden  of  roses, 
encircled  by  a  hedge  of  cactus,  stood  the 
house  in  which  Kate  Darcy  had  chosen  to 
make  her  home  for  the  nonce.  Its  owner, 
a  wealthy  Hollander,  who  had  come  out  as 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          163 

a  missionary,  and  availed  himself  of  the  op 
portunities  of  trade  with  great  success,  was 
now  visiting  Europe  with  his  family.  The 
house  was  luxuriously  furnished,  and  a 
Scotchwoman,  as  housekeeper,  watched  over 
all  the  barbaric  creatures — servants  on  the 
place. 

One  morning,  a  few  weeks  after  her  ar 
rival,  Kate  was  listlessly  swinging  in  a  ham 
mock  shaded  by  a  fig-tree,  when  Margaret 
appeared,  saying  : 

"A  gentleman  to  see  you,  Miss  Darcy." 

"  Who  is  it,  Margaret  ?" 

"  Here  is  his  card." 

As  Kate  read  the  name  of  C.  A.  Fox — 
Kimberley,  she  said  : 

"  Show  him  the  way  to  the  garden,  Mar 
garet.  I  will  receive  him  here." 

When  the  doctor  reached  the  veranda 
that  overlooked  this  charming  spot,  he 
stood  lost  in  admiration.  Before  him  was 
the  woman  he  had  dreamed  of,  thought 
of,  loved — since  the  hour  he  first  met  her. 
Never  before  had  he  seen  so  beautiful,  so 
idyllic  a  picture.  She  looked  sweet  and 
restful  under  the  trees,  with  the  sunlight 


164         An  1.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

striking  the  trembling  leaves  which  threw 
playful  shadows  over  her  face. 

At  his  approach,  she  rose  from  her  ham 
mock  to  greet  him.  Taking  botli  her  hands 
in  his,  and  looking  into  her  eyes,  as  if  he 
would  read  her  inmost  thoughts,  he  said  : 

"  I  hope  that  you  are  glad  to  see  me  ?" 

"Indeed  I  am,"  said  Kate,  heartily.  "I 
was  beginning  to  feel  a  little  secret  restless 
ness,  and  a  desire  for  the  society  of  a  conge 
nial  soul.  What  good  angel  has  brought  you 
to  Bloemfontein  ?  Ah,  I  know,"  she  contin 
ued,  for  the  doctor  seemed  for  once  in  his 
life  at  a  loss  for  words  ;  "  the  angel  of  mer 
cy.  Some  poor  stricken  sufferer  has  heard 
of  your  skill  and  sent  for  you.  Is  it  a  case 
for  the  surgeon,  or  physician  ?  " 

"I  have  not  fully  diagnosed  the  case." 

"  It  is  not  a  hopeless  one,  I  trust  ?  "  said 
Kate. 

"  I  fear  it  is." 

"Let  us  hope  that  with  your  skill,  aided 
by  kind  Providence,  all  will  be  well." 

"  I  will  say  Amen,  to  that,  but,  as  it  is  a 
case  for  the  metaphysician,  I  fear  I  shall 
lose  the  patient." 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          165 

"  Ah,  Doctor  !  and  you  whose  happy  cures 
are  so  frequently  the  result  of  mental  action. 
By  the  way,  is  the  patient  one  of  your  own 
sex  ?" 

"  Yes  ;   and  therein  lies  the  danger." 

With  one  accord  they  began  to  walk 
slowly  over  the  grounds.  As  they  walked, 
they  talked,  and  in  the  midst  of  their  talk, 
they  would  cease  to  walk  ;  standing  still  to 
enjoy  some  thought  of  the  moment,  and 
then  begin  to  pace  over  the  green  sward. 

"I  thought,  Miss  Darcy,  that  I  would 
leave  the  Fields  during  the  hot  Christmas 
season,  and  visit  you." 

"You  have  done  quite  right.  We  will 
try  to  entertain  you  as  best  we  know  how. 
Instead  of  the  usual  Christmas  turkey  with 
its  accompanying  cranberry  sauce,  we  will 
serve  up  to  you  some  of  those  delightful 
dishes  our  Coolie  cook  knows  so  well  how 
to  prepare,  with  a  feast  of  rare  fruit,  such 
as  I  think  you  have  never  tasted." 

"  I  see  you  think  of  the  inner  man  ?" 

"  Why,  certainly  !  You,  like  the  rest  of 
your  brothers,  love  to  be  well  fed.  You  see 
that  I  wish  you  to  be  amiable  while  you 


1 66         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

are  here.  Experience  has  taught  me  that 
a  good  dinner  makes  a  man  much  better 
company  than  he  would  be  without  it." 

"  Miss  Darcy,  I  think  your  presence 
would  always  make  a  man  feel  at  his  best." 

"Tut!  Tut!  what  nonsense.  I  am  more 
of  a  philosopher  than  you.  There  is  noth 
ing  equal  to  a  good  dinner  to  make  a  man 
feel  at  peace  with  all  the  world." 

"  How  are  you  off  for  servants  ? " 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  how  many 
Margaret  has  on  her  staff.  When  meal  time 
comes  around,  there  will  be  a  quorum  or 
more  Kafirs  around  the  kitchen  door.  Al 
ways  enough  to  come  to  a  decision  on  the 
merits  of  the  cook,  cuisine,  and  condiments. 
They  are  an  amusing  study.  They  come 
in  all  sorts  of  garbs  :  in  blankets,  old  mili 
tary  jackets  once  owned  by  some  brave 
Englishman,  and  a  variety  of  garments  too 
absurd  to  mention.  One  Kafir  came  with 
a  stovepipe  hat  turned  upside  down,  so  that 
he  could  have  carried  all  his  worldly  pos 
sessions  in  it  if  he  had  wished  to  do  so. 
The  hat  was  held  on  his  head  by  fastening 
a  string  to  each  side  of  the  rim,  and  tying 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          167 

them  under  his  chin.  In  addition  to  that 
he  had  on  a  paper  collar,  and  a  pair  of  old 
pantaloons  half  way  up  to  his  knees.  He 
had  a  knob-kerne  in  his  hand,  and  walked 
much  as  a  Broadway  dandy  would  walk." 

"Miss  Darcy,"  said  the  doctor,  laugh 
ingly,  "you  should  fill  a  sketch-book  with 
all  these  strange  characters  you  see.  Your 
powers  of  observation  are  so  developed  that 
you  perceive  tilings  which  others  would 
pass  blindly  over." 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  talent  for 
sketching.  These  scenes  will  have  to  re 
main  imprinted  on  the  photographic  tablet 
of  my  memory." 

"  I  trust  your  housekeeper  suits  you  ?" 

"Margaret  is  all  one  could  ask  for,  and 
such  an  honest  body.  I  know  she  doesn't 
'pretty  much' !" 

"One  could  not  truthfully  say  that  she 
is  handsome  !  You  are  perfectly  safe  while 
she  is  your  body-guard.  Has  she  raised 
that  moustache  since  you  met  her?" 

Kate  laughed  merrily,  for  Margaret  al 
ways  reminded  her  of  an  old  mouser.  It 
seemed  as  if  she  never  could  have  been 


1 68         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

young,  and  her  clothes  had  a  home-made- 
in-a-hurry  sort  of  look  about  them.  But 
Margaret  filled  her  niche  in  the  world. 

"  Let  us  take  a  drive  before  dinner,"  said 
Kate,  "and  let  me  show  you  through  this 
beautiful  little  town  of  ours,  which  we  think 
compares  favorably  with  those  havens  of 
rest  around  Cape  Town.  You  must  have 
seen  at  the  hotel  the  Englishmen,  who  are 
enjoying  poor  health,  and  losing  their  old 
dreaded  belief  in  consumption." 

"I  did,  and  found  them  agreeable  com 
pany.  You  have  pleasant  neighbors?" 

"  I  don't  know.  I  should  be  sorry  to  find 
that  I  have  not,  so  I  do  not  try  to  gratify 
any  curiosity  I  may  have  on  the  subject." 

They  had  reached  the  house,  and  Kate, 
having  given  orders  for  the  horses  to  be 
harnessed  to  the  Victoria,  excused  herself 
for  a  few  moments.  When  she  returned 
she  wore  a  plain  cream-colored  cashmere 
dress.  A  wide-brimmed  Leghorn  hat,  with 
drooping  feathers,  sat  gracefully  on  her 
head. 

After  driving  through  the  miniature  city, 
with  its  imposing  banks,  churches,  House 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         169 


of  Parliament,  and  hand 
some    residences,    they 
struck  the  road  leading 
along  the  edge 
of   a   line   of  -.  . 

hills 
that 


-    -r-; 

-V 


&*~~       M^'  "i 

L2I  =    overshad 

owed  the 
town,  pass- 
y          ing   several 
neatly- kept 
vineyards.    For 

an  hour  they  kept  up  a  running  fire  of  con 
versation  on  every  topic  except  the  one 
nearest  their  hearts  ;  then  the  doctor  turned 


170         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

the  horses,  and  the  spirited  creatures  put 
their  noses  down  and  enjoyed  the  run  home 
over  the  hard,  smooth  road,  as  much  as  did 
the  occupants  of  the  carriage  behind  them. 
Dinner  was  ready  when  they  reached  the 
house,  and  they  sat  a  long  time  chatting 
over  the  viands  before  them,  unmindful  of 
everything  outside  those  four  walls.  After 
dinner  the  garden  was  again  visited,  and 
Kate  swung  idly  in  her  hammock,  while 
the  doctor  sat  near  by  and  told  her  the 
news  of  the  Kimberley  world.  A  cool 
breeze  sprang  up  at  sunset,  and  the  moon 
rose  in  all  her  silvery  glory. 

They  were  both  content.  The  day  had 
brought  its  full  amount  of  happiness,  and 
was  one  to  be  kept  in  memory. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Pinning  Leaves  Together. 

"I  HAVE  been  thinking  that  you  have 
found  that  home  of  loveliness  and  utter  de 
light,  which  you  so  charmingly  described 
during  our  last  ride  together  in  Kimber- 
ley." 

"And  have  you  not  forgotten  what  I 
said?"  asked  Kate,  looking  up  at  the  sky. 

"  I  remember  every  word  I  ever  heard 
you  utter." 

"  I  shall  be  very  careful  what  I  say  after 
this." 

"  Not  on  my  account,  I  beg  ?  I  like  to 
hear  you  think  aloud  as  you  do,  for  your 
words  have  so  stirred  my  own  thoughts, 
Miss  Darcy,  that  I  have  been  anxious  to 
hear  you  talk  again." 

Kate  swung  more  and  more  slowly  with 


172         An  I.  D.  B.  i/i  South  Africa. 

eyes  half  closed,  like  one  indulging  in  a 
dream. 

"  Tell  me,"  continued  the  doctor,  looking 
down  into  her  face,  "  are  you  perfectly  hap 
py  within  yourself.  Have  you  no  longing 
for  the  society  of  others,  and  is  this  idle  life 
of  yours  all  that  you  wish  for  ? " 

Kate  could  not  answer  this  man  lightly, 
she  felt  that  if  she  were  false  to  him  in  the 
slightest  degree,  she  would  become  less 
womanly  in  her  own,  as  well  as  his  eyes. 
Avoiding  his  glance,  she  answered  : 

"  The  idle  life  I  am  leading  is  a  life  full 
of  thought.  My  mind  is  constantly  absorb 
ing  everything  I  see.  All  these  strange 
creatures  around  me  are  a  study.  I  have 
not  been  as  idle  as  you  think  during  my 
stay  in  Bloemfontein.  I  have  been  pinning 
some  leaves  together." 

"  Pinning  leaves  together  !  Am  I  among 
those  leaves  ? " 

"Yes,  but  I  have  turned  your  particular 
leaf,  with  a  few  others,  down  for  future  ref 
erence." 

"What  will  you  do  with  the  remaining 
leaves  ?" 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         173 


"  They  will  be   left    pinned.      I    do    not 
wish  to  re-read  the  past.      I   need  all   my 
strength  and  thought 
for   the    ever-pres 
ent  now." 

"  Do   you    mean 
to  say,  that  you  do 
not  intend   giving 
any   backward 
glances  ?" 


"All 
that     is 


not 


pleasant  I  have  shut 
away  in  those  leaves." 

"Then  I  may  infer  that  the  leaf  you  have 
turned  down  for  reference,  has  something 
agreeable  written  there  ? " 


174         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

Kate  made  no  reply. 

"  To  be  but  a  leaf  in  your  book,  brings  a 
sense  of  delight  to  me.  Pray  let  me  know 
if  I  am  fast  in  the  binding,  or  whether  I  am 
liable  to  become  lost,  strayed,  or  stolen. 
Sometimes  I  feel  as  if  I  were  all  three,'' 
said  the  doctor,  with  an  earnestness  in  his 
voice,  that  made  the  blood  fly  to  Kate's 
cheeks.  Yet  evading  his  real  meaning,  she 
said,  with  mock  pity  : 

"  Poor  fellow !  That  is  homesickness. 
Homesickness  is  a  very  unpleasant  feel 
ing." 

"Especially  if  you  have  no  home,  but  are 
merely  existing  ? " 

"  Don't  you  call  Kimberley  home  ?  " 

"  Did  you  ever  meet  anyone  there  who 
did  ? "  asked  the  doctor. 

"Now  that  I  think  of  it  I  never  did. 
Why  is  it  ? " 

"  Because  to  live  simply  to  make  money, 
is  only  existence.  I  do  not  think  I  shall  re 
main  there  much  longer.  I  expect  to  sail 
for  England  shortly." 

"  To  remain  there  ?  " 

"That  depends  I"  and  the  doctor  watched 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          175 

her  face  with  its  varying  expression.  Kate 
covered  her  face  with  her  hand,  for  a  few 
moments.  When  she  looked  up  again  the 
doctor  asked  : 

"Of  what  were  you  thinking  ?  " 

"  Of  something  in  the  past.  Of  course 
it  was  a  pleasant  thought." 

"  I  wish  that  I  were  woven  in  that  past 
life  of  yours." 

"  I  don't  think  we  wrould  have  been  as 
good  friends  as  we  are  now." 

"Why  do  you  think  that?" 

"Well,"  said  Kate,  slowly,  "  I  glided  over 
the  surface  of  life  then,  and  did  not  appre 
ciate  half  there  was  to  be  found  in  it.  I 
realize  now,  that  it  is  a  great,  a  grand  thing 
to  live." 

"And  you  make  others  think  the  same 
thought  when  they  come  near  you." 

"Ah  !  if  I  could  have  that  power,  what  a 
rich  woman  I  would  be.  What  knowledge 
I  would  have,  and  what  good  I  could  do." 

"  Don't  say  '  if,'  "  Kate  felt  the  doctor's 
eyes  looking  down  upon  her,  as  he  spoke, 
and  knew  that  he  was  deeply  moved  as  he 
continued  : 


ij6         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

"I  think  I  am  a  nobler  man  since  I  first 
met  you.  Your  thoughts  have  been  a  re 
freshing  draught  to  my  thirsty  soul.  The 
divine  womanhood  in  you  has  at  last  awak 
ened  my  true  self." 

"  Then  my  coming  has  done  some  good  ; 
I  am  content." 

The  doctor  stood  with  his  hand  behind 
him.  Attitude  and  form  expressing  the  no 
bility  of  manhood,  as  he  looked  at  this  queen 
of  his  heart.  Drawing  a  long  breath  he  said  : 

"  I  am  not  in  a  mood  to  talk  platitudes, 
for  my  life  has  now  become  an  earnest  en 
deavor.  I  would  rather  you  would  wound 
me,  than  to  endure  another  day  of  suspense 
such  as  I  have  passed  through  since  you 
left  me.  Words  are  but  clumsy  vehicles  to 
bear  the  expression  of  my  feelings  for  you. 
You  seem  to  be  a  part  of  myself — my  spirit- 
mate.  Kate,  my  beloved,  come  to  me  ;  let 
me  call  you — wife  !  " 

As  he  said  this  he  made  a  step  forward, 
and  grasped  the  hammock,  trembling  from 
head  to  foot.  Kate  remained  silent,  while 
the  doctor  stood  with  his  hand  still  on  the 
hammock  patiently  waiting  her  reply. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          177 

Kate  was  pale  to  her  lips,  as  she  replied  : 
"  My  friend,  I  will  be  as  truthful  to  you,  as 
one  soul  can  be  to  another  ;  and  I  think 
you  will  understand  me.  I  am  happier  now 
than  I  have  ever  been,  in  my  life.  I  am  at 
peace  with  myself.  To  say  that  I  am  per 
fectly  happy,  would  be  to  say  what  no  one 
yet  has  said  truly  ;  but  it  is  a  question,  a 
very  serious  one  with  me,  whether  marriage 
would  bring  me  greater  happiness  than  I 
now  know." 

"  Would  not  this  love  I  bear  for  you 
make  you  happier  ?  God  did  not  place  you 
in  my  pathway  without  a  purpose." 

"That  is  true.  But  let  us  be  sure  that 
this  love  is  not  a  fancy  !  " 

"A  fancy!  Have  you  no  feeling  for  me 
deeper  than  you  give  to  a  mere  friend  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Thank  God  !  "  and  the  doctor  raised  his 
eyes,  then  let  them  fall  upon  her  face  with 
an  adoring  look. 

"  But  I  cannot  make  you  understand,  that 
I  would  spare  you  suffering  later  on.  Let 
me  tell  you.  Love,  to  me,  means  perfect 

trust.     I  could   never  stoop  to  find  out  if 
12 


178         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

you  ever  deceived  me.  If  I  did,  love  would 
die  out  of  me  that  instant,  and  then  how 
dreary  my  life  would  be.  I  don't  want  to 
be  wretched  through  any  mistaken  fancy. 
When  I  surrender,  it  must  bring  me  what  I 
long  for — Contentment." 

"  Come  to  me,  Kate,  and  trust  me  !  I  am 
not  here  without  being  certain  that  our 
lives  can  be  made  of  use  and  joy  to  each 
other,  for  I  love  you.  I  love  you.  I  have 
been  smothering  my  feelings  so  long,  that 
it  is  now  a  relief  to  tell  you  of  it,"  and  the 
doctor  took  one  of  her  hands  in  his,  and 
held  it  firmly. 

"  Tell  me,  Kate,  is  marriage  distasteful  to 
you  ? " 

"  Not  my  ideal  of  the  true  married  state. 
When  I  look  at  my  married  friends,  and 
see  among  them  so  many  lovely  women 
wretched,  and  unable  to  solve  the  problem 
of  happiness,  I  pray  that  my  life  may  escape 
like  miserable  failure." 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 
What  shall  They  do  with  It  / 

"  EXPLAIN  to  me  your  ideal  of  married 
life?" 

"  It  is  one  of  joy  and  happiness  and  of 
usefulness  to  our  neighbors  as  well  as  our 
selves.  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  restlessness  in  married  people,  which 
leads  to  divorces,  springs  entirely  from  sel 
fishness.  As  for  me,  I  want  henceforth  to 
make  my  life  one  of  use  to  every  one  that 
comes  near  me.  Every  one  is  given  at  least 
one  talent  for  use  ;  not  to  hide  and  hoard 
away.  Except  for  its  new  duties  and  rela 
tions,  married  life  has  no  higher  ideals  than 
single  life.  The  same  earnest  unselfish 
principles  should  actuate  us  in  whatever 
sphere  we  are  called.  We  must  shut  our 
eyes  to  everything  but  the  good  in  those 
who  seek  us,  and  so  call  out  the  best  there 


180         An  I.  D.  />.  in  South  Africa. 

is  in  them.  That  is  the  great  secret  of 
happiness.  Encourage  a  soul  to  grow,  and 
it  will  soar  far  beyond  its  highest  fancies." 

"  Kate  !  you  voice  the  feelings  of  my  best 
nature.  The  life  of  a  conscientious  physi 
cian  is  only  one  of  use  to  his  neighbor. 
How  might  we,  equally  devoted  to  human 
ity  and  usefulness,  work  together.  If  you 
could  but  trust  yourself  to  me,  we  could 
surely  do  much  good  in  our  lives,  one  in 
heart  and  purpose.  Do  not  fear  to  trust 
yourself  in  my  keeping.  I  know  the  respon 
sibility  of  holding  a  woman's  happiness  in 
keeping,  and  I  would  hardly  let  my  first  be 
trayal  of  any  trust  be  a  treachery  to  the 
wife  of  my  choice." 

Kate  looked  long  and  earnestly  at  the 
brilliant  stars,  that  hung  from  the  blue 
curtain  of  night.  She  seemed  to  drink  of 
an  inspiring  force,  and  her  eyes  matched 
the  brilliancy  of  the  heavenly  orbs,  as  she 
looked  into  his,  that  were  so  strong  and 
true.  In  a  clear  voice  she  said  : 

"  I  am  yours  in  trust." 

The  next  instant  she  was  gathered  in  his 
arms,  and  held  there,  while  his  lips  pressed 


182         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

her  brow.  It  would  have  seemed  like  mock 
ery  to  have  spoken  at  such  a  moment. 
Words  are  needless  when  Love  sits  enthron 
ed.  Then  it  is  that  heart  speaks  to  heart. 

"Miss  Darcy?" 

"Yes,  Margaret." 

"May  I  speak  with  you  a  moment?" 

"Well,  what  is  it  ?"  and  Kate  approached 
Margaret,  who  stood  a  little  distance  from 
the  lovers. 

"  A  strange  creature  is  here  who  wishes 
to  see  you." 

"  See  me  ?     Is  it  a  man  or  woman  ?  " 

"He  looks  like  a  Bushman." 

"What  can  a  Bushman  want  of  me?" 
said  Kate,  walking  toward  the  house.  In 
the  still  night  air,  the  doctor  had  heard 
every  word,  and  now  followed  her.  He 
found  Bela  talking  rapidly  to  her  in  clicks 
and  vowel  sounds,  with  his  hand  held  over 
his  eyes. 

When  Kate  saw  the  doctor  she  laughingly 
said  : 

"  He  sounds  like  a  cricket  !  Can  you 
understand  the  jargon  ?" 


An  L  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          183 

At  sight  of  the  doctor,  Bela  acted  like  one 
insane  with  delight.  He  clapped  his  hands 
and  kept  time  with  his  feet,  while  his  body 
swayed  in  strange  undulating  motions. 

'k  Let  us  go  into  the  house,  Miss  Darcy," 
and  making  a  motion  to  the  Bushman  to 
follow,  they  entered  the  salon.  The  doctor 
sat  down,  and  Bela  stood  and  told  his  story. 
As  he  proceeded  the  doctor's  face  was  a 
study  to  Kate,  who  knew  from  its  expres 
sion  that  something  very  strange  had  oc 
curred. 

In  a  few  moments  putting  his  fingers  to 
Bela's  eyes,  he  lifted  the  lid  and  slipped  the 
glass  eye  from  under  it.  As  he  did  so,  the 
concealed  diamond  fell  into  his  hand. 

"Great  Scott!"  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

Bela  chuckled,  and  began  to  clap  his  hands 
and  express  delight  in  his  usual  way.  Kate 
gave  one  look,  and  sank  into  a  chair.  They 
sat  for  a  moment  looking  at  each  other,  in 
stupefaction.  Then  Kate  asked  : 

"  What  does  it  all  mean  ? " 

'•'  It  means  that  Donald  Laure  has  been 
arrested  on  suspicion  of  being  an  I.  D.  B. 
and  this  creature  has  been  a  faithful  ser- 


184         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

vant  to  Mrs.  Laure.  You  may  go  outside 
and  wait  for  me,  Bela."  When  the  Bushman 
had  gone,  the  doctor  continued  :  "  Knowing 
you  were  a  friend  to  his  mistress,  he  has  run 
from  the  Fields  to  you,  without  stopping, 
carrying  the  diamond  in  his  eye  !  These 
natives  are  wonderfully  astute,  and  Bela 
knowing  that  as  you  were  living  in  the 
Orange  Free  State  out  of  the  pale  of  the 
law  of  Griqtia  Land  West,  the  land  of  dia 
monds,  if  he  could  deliver  this  diamond  into 
your  keeping,  he  would  be  safe,  and  every 
one  else  connected  with  it." 

"What  would  I  have  done  with  the  dia 
mond  ?  Mercy  !  how  glad  I  am  that  you  are 
here." 

"Already,  Kate,  I  am  of  use  to  you  ?  I 
am  very  glad  indeed,  for  your  sake,  that  I 
am  here." 

"What  will  you  do  with  it  ?  " 

"Well,  I  shall  consider  the  matter.  It  is 
late,  and  I  must  now  go  to  my  hotel.  I  will 
think  it  over  and  tell  you  my  decision  in 
the  morning.  This  has  been  a  memorable 
day  in  my  existence,  but  it  must  end,  more's 
the  pity. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          185 

"  Good  night,  good  night !  parting  is  such  sweet  sorrow, 
That  I  shall  say  good  night,  'till  it  be  morrow," 

quoted  the  doctor,  as  he  left  her  alone. 

The  next  morning  they  were  eager  to  see 
each  other,  for  this  was  the  dawn  of  their 
new  life,  and  their  faces  reflected  the  radi 
ance  of  the  glory  of  the  light  on  their  ho 
rizon.  Yet  their  talk  was  not  of  themselves 
but  of  Bela  and  the  diamond. 

"  I  have  been  busy  this  morning  attend 
ing  to  this  matter.  Bela  has  disappeared  ! 
I  find  he  was  last  seen  at  sunrise,  on 
the  road  leading  up  into  the  interior  of 
the  country.  He  must  have  been  nearly 
frightened  to  death  over  the  scene  with 
the  detectives  and  his  mistress,  and  after 
wards  by  a  little  encounter  with  the  guards 
at  the  gate.  He  probably  fears  even  me  at 
present,  thinking  that  I  may  hand  him  over 
to  the  authorities,  and  so  injure  Laure. 
These  natives  have  some  of  the  wisdom 
supposed  to  be  bestowed  only  upon  their 
masters." 

"What  will  you  do  with  the  gem  ? " 

"  I  have  telegraphed  to  Kimberley  to  find 


186         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

if  Donald  Laure  is  there.  The  disappear 
ance  of  Bela  with  the  diamond  may  cause 
Donald  to  change  his  plans." 

As  they  sat  talking  a  telegram  was  brought 
in  by  Margaret.  Its  contents  follow  : 

"  Donald  Laure  and  wife  have  left  Kim- 
berley  for  England." 

The  doctor  sat  thinking  with  a  puzzled 
expression  on  his  countenance. 

"Surprises  multiply,  Kate.  What  shall 
we  now  do  with  the  diamond  ?  I  do  not 
know  to  whom  it  belongs,  and  do  not  wish 
to  do  anybody  an  injury  by  sending  it  to 
the  authorities.  They  would  at  once  tele 
graph  to  England  and  have  Donald  Laure 
seized  on  his  arrival  in  that  country." 

"  What  do  men  do  with  their  diamonds, 
when  they  want  to  get  them  out  of  their 
way  ? " 

"Oh,  they  bury  them,  or  send  them  to 
England  by  mail." 

"  Why  don't  you  do  that  ?  " 

"  Do  what  ?  " 

"  Send  it  by  mail  to  your  banker  in  En 
gland,  addressed  to  Donald  Laure,  care  of 
yourself,  so  it  will  be  in  safe  hands,  then 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          187 

you  can  give  him  an  order  for  it  when  you 
find  out  his  address." 

"  Well,  Kate  !  That  is  good  Yankee  in 
vention.  You  will  be  as  good  as  a  lawyer 
in  adjusting  all  weighty  matters  that  may 
arise  in  our  lives.  It  is  just  the  thing  to  do. 
Who  says  a  woman's  quick  invention  isn't 
worth  more  than  the  step-ladder  man  uses 
when  he  tries  to  climb  to  the  heights  of  suc 
cess  through  his  reason  ?" 

"Then  you  will  do  that?" 

"  It  is  the  only  thing  to  do.  I  will  send 
it  off  before  I  leave  to-day.  We  have  only 
a  few  hours  to  ourselves  before  I  start  on 
my  journey  down  the  country  to  the  sea, 
where  I  will  take  the  steamer  which  will 
carry  me  to  England  in  twenty  days.  I  am 
a  happier  man,  Kate,  than  I  expected  to  be 
on  that  journey.  When  I  came  to  Bloem- 
fontein  it  did  not  seem  as  if  I  were  worthy 
to  approach  and  ask  you  to  give  yourself 
into  my  keeping." 

"  Love  makes  one  feel  unworthy  of  the 
object  upon  which  it  sets  its  affections. 
But  our  recompense  for  this  personal  sense 
of  unfitness  is  the  glory  we  gain  in  the  eyes 


i88         An  I.  D,  B.  in  South  Africa. 

of  our  beloved.  Perhaps  an  average  struck 
between  the  humility  of  love  on  one  side 
and  the  exaggeration  of  love  on  the  other, 
will  give  a  fair  estimate  of  the  reality." 

The  doctor  smiled  at  Kate's  grave  conclu 
sion,  and  taking  both  her  hands  in  his,  laid 
them  over  his  heart  which  beat  so  truly,  and 
on  which  she  knew  she  could  rest  and 
gather  to  herself  strength.  In  another  hour 
he  was  on  his  way  to  the  coast. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

"  How  will  it  End "?  " 

WHAT  a  civilize r  is  the  railroad,  preceded 
by  the  missionary,  and  followed  by  the 
speculator ! 

How  changed  is  the  country,  since  the 
time  when  the  journey  from  Kimberley  to 
the  coast  was  made  by  ox-wagon,  by  stage 
coach,  or  Cape  cart,  with  its  Malay  driver 
arid  Hottentot  guard,  with  a  possible  pas 
senger  hurrying  to  the  sea  to  catch  the 
English  steamer. 

Here  the  Kafir,  with  his  coating  of  blue 
clay,  once  wound  his  way  over  the  path  worn 
by  his  ancestors,  through  the  Karoo,  across 
the  sluit,  the  swamp,  over  the  Kopje,  tele 
graphing  his  approacli  by  that  soft,  melodi 
ous,  far-reaching  cry  peculiar  to  himself,  on 
his  pilgrimage  to  the  great  ocean,  his  goal. 
Not  until  certain  sacred  rites  were  carried 


190         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

into  effect  and  he  was  cleansed  in  the  great 
waters,  was  he  considered  a  man  by  his 
tribe,  and  his  approach  to  a  kraal  was  but 
the  signal  for  the  younger  women  to  hide 
themselves. 

Strange  creatures,  and  stranger  customs, 
that  are  as  strictly  adhered  to,  as  were  the 
Mosaic  laws  of  old,  which  in  some  respects 
they  resemble.  The  scientist  in  the  coun 
try  finds  the  native  life  a  weird,  never-end 
ing  mystery,  and  the  iron  horse  seems  a 
trespasser. 

In  these  days  the  traveller  lounges  in  a 
luxurious  Pullman  coach,  which  in  thirty 
hours  hurries  to  the  coast  at  Port  Elizabeth, 
across  sandy  plains,  and  treeless  mountains, 
passing  slowly  and  gracefully  over  the 
"  Good  Hope  "  bridge,  over  a  thousand  feet 
in  length,  built  upon  nine  arches  that  span 
the  Orange  River,  a  treacherous  stream  fifty- 
five  feet  below  the  rail,  rushing  onward  to 
that  omnivorous  mouth,  the  Sea.  During  a 
few  months  of  the  year  the  upland  rivers 
come  rolling  down  like  cataracts,  over  huge 
boulders,  and  dragging  great  gnarled  trees 
with  them,  as  if  they  were  no  more  than  a 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          191 

feather's  weight  ;  thus  leaving  the  river 
beds  dry  during  the  remaining  months  of 
the  year,  or  with  a  mere  brooklet  trickling 
along  between  wide  yawning  walls  of  clay. 

On  reaching  Port  Elizabeth,  that  enter 
prising  city  of  Cape  Colony,  Dr.  Fox  pro 
ceeded  immediately  to  the  long  jetty,  built 
well  out  into  the  sea,  and  there  boarded  a 
tug  that  lay  alongside,  and  was  soon  steam 
ing  out  to  the  "  Arab,"  riding  at  anchor  in 
Algoa  Bay. 

Many  passengers  were  aboard,  a  number 
having  come  from  Natal,  and  their  faces 
expressed  satisfaction  at  the  prospect  of  a 
visit  home  to  England. 

Soon  the  heart  of  the  great  "  Arab  "  began 
to  beat,  and  the  pulsations  could  be  heard 
and  felt  by  the  passengers  sitting  on  its 
deck  watching  the  sunlight  reflected  on  the 
wooded  shores  of  the  African  coast,  that 
seemed  to  glide  by,  while  the  "  Arab  "  stood 
still. 

A  few  days  at  sea  seems  a  very  long 
time,  and  social  reserve  drops  off  with  the 
taking  of  the  log.  The  seats  arranged  at 
table,  the  constant  personal  association  in 


192          An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

the  confines  of  the  ship,  together  with  the 
hundred  of  incidents  that  arise  during  a 
long  voyage,  soon  reveal  the  characters  of 
fellow-passengers.  If  there  is  congeniality 
the  voyage  comes  to  an  end  almost  too  soon. 

There  is  no  life  that  can  tell  of  its  ro 
mances  and  its  heart-burnings  like  the  life 
at  sea. 

A  man's  soul  must  be  living  indeed  in  a 
cold  atmosphere,  that  can  be  so  gently 
rocked  in  such  a  richly  carved  and  gilded 
cradle  as  one  of  those  Southern  steamers, 
and  not  find  sentiment  growing  in  his  soul. 
Especially  if  he  is  fortunate  to  meet  there 
what  may  appear  to  be  an  affinity. 

On  reaching  Cape  Town  the  following 
day,  and  entering  the  stone  dock,  the  doc 
tor  disembarked  to  pay  a  flying  visit  to  the 
Eden-like  suburbs,  where  the  houses,  cov 
ered  with  passion-flowers,  growing  in  wild 
profusion  and  surrounded  by  orchids,  peep 
out,  overlooking  the  beautiful  waters  of 
Table  Bay.  With  the  mauve-tinted,  golden- 
rimmed  mountains  lying  in  the  distance,  it 
is  a  veritable  paradise  in  which  to  hide 
one's  self  away  from  the  world. 


Aii  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          193 

Taking  a  hansom  and  returning  to  the 
steamer,  the  doctor  stood  on  deck  watching 
the  sailors  depositing  the  luggage  in  the 
hold,  and  thinking  what  that  voyage  might 
mean  in  the  lives  of  many  of  the  passen 
gers. 

As  this  thought  sprang  up,  he  looked 
toward  the  dock,  and  saw  three  persons  in 
tourist  garb,  hastily  approaching  the  gang 
plank,  then  in  course  of  being  hauled  on 
deck. 

Their  faces  were  familiar.  They  were 
Donald  and  Dainty  Laure,  with  Herr 
Schwatka,  and  they  came  hastily  on  board, 
and  disappeared  in  the  deck  cabins  allotted 
to  them. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  act,  not 
anticipated  by  the  doctor,  in  the  drama  of 
which,  so  far,  he  had  been  a  spectator. 

"What  will  be  the  end  of  it?"  was  his 
mental  query. 

Here  in  the  Southern  hemisphere,  with 
the  clearly  defined  outline  of  majestic  scen 
ery,  the  great  "Arab  "  again  began  slowly 
to  swing  away  from  her  moorings  out  into 
the  boundless  ocean,  soon  to  glide  over  its 


194         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

bosom,  as  swiftly  as  a  swan  in  its  native 
lake. 

Hardly  a  ripple  disturbed  the  waters,  and 
the  air  kissed  the  cheek  like  the  touch  of 
an  angel's  wing. 

Here,  where  "  The  heavens  are  telling 
the  glory  of  God,"  and  the  Southern  Cross 
and  the  eye  of  night  throw  out  a  light  un 
equalled  in  our  Northern  hemisphere,  to 
simply  live  is  a  delight. 

That  great  deck  seemed  unnecessary  for 
those  quiet  waters,  but  there  are  times 
when  the  sea  changes  its  moods  with  a  sud 
denness  like  that  of  Southern  storms  in  the 
upland  regions  of  Africa,  where  the  whirl 
winds  of  dust  come  with  unexpected  fury. 
Those  tropical  winds,  on  both  land  and  sea, 
are  treacherous  and  capricious. 

To  attempt  to  describe  a  sea-voyage  from 
Africa  to  England,  through  the  summer 
voyage  of  the  world,  is  like  attempting  to 
describe  a  dream  that  had  been  one  long, 
sweet  draught  of  perfect  happiness,  where 
the  spirit  seemed  to  go  wherever  it  willed, 
and  was  in  company  with  people  with 
whom  it  felt  in  harmony. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         195 


There  are  usu 
ally  musicians, 
or  accomplished 
people  aboard, 
w ho  have  no 


196         An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

thought  of  hiding  their  light  under  a 
bushel,  but  who  cheerfully  contribute  to 
the  entertainment  of  their  fellow  passen 
gers. 

To  Dainty  Laure  what  would  not  this 
experience  have  been,  had  her  heart  been 
at  rest.  But  she  looked  at  the  new  world 
with  strange  experiences  distracting  her 
soul,  and  the  unwonted  surroundings  made 
her  condition  but  more  pitiful. 

Unable  to  control  the  harassing  condi 
tions  of  her  life,  she  was  like  a  sick,  suffer 
ing  creature  denied  the  quiet  and  rest 
needed  for  recovery.  In  her  full  strength, 
and  with  her  former  capacity  for  enjoy 
ment,  she  would  have  taken  a  child's  de 
light  in  change. 

But  now,  removed  from  her  accustomed 
places,  kept  by  circumstances  from  putting 
her  trust  for  the  future  where  her  heart 
prompted,  and  unable  to  feel  toward  Don 
ald  the  reliance  of  love,  she  was  never  at 
rest. 

Often  she  would  sit  long  by  the  side  of 
the  doctor,  not  saying  a  word.  He  was 
the  one  man  she  knew  well  whose  pres- 


An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         197 

ence  satisfied  her.  The  doctor  never 
questioned  her,  for  the  agony  of  her  spirit 
was  written  on  her  face,  which  grew  sadder 
day  by  day.  She  knew  not  how  to  wear  a 

mask. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  End  of  the   Voyage. 

BUT  Dainty  was  not  the  only  uneasy  pas 
senger  among  our  acquaintances  ;  Donald 
was  no  less  discomfited.  The  knowledge 

O 

of  his  past  embittered  even  his  love  for 
Dainty — a  love  to  which  he  was  true.  And 
yet,  when  in  any  way  we  wrong  the  loved,  are 
we  true  ?  No — rather  false.  For  real  love 
will  deny  itself  for  the  sake  of  the  beloved. 
He  had  no  suspicion  of  the  tender  feel 
ings  that  existed  between  his  friend  and 
the  woman  he  called  wife.  The  hidden  en 
tanglements  of  his  own  life  blinded  him  to 
all  other  convictions.  What  solitary  lives 
were  these  two  living!  Watched  and  har 
assed,  they  were  not  as  happy  as  the  hard- 
worked,  gasping  stoker,  who  came  up  from 
below,  like  a  Vulcan  from  his  fiery  forge,  to 
get  a  breath  of  the  stifling  equatorial  air. 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         199 

One  hot,  lazy  afternoon,  just  after  tiffin, 
Donald  and  Herr  Schwatka  were  walking 
on  deck,  when  the  latter  asked  : 

"What  has  become  of  Kildare  ? " 

"  Oh,  he  has  set  his  scheme  afloat,  and 
is  sailing  along.  The  great  gold  mining 
company  is  now  in  popular  favor.  By  the 
by,  he  compliments  the  doctor  on  being  the 
best  Poker  player,  but  one,  on  the  Fields." 

"  And  what  may  be  the  name  of  his  su 
perior  ?  " 

"Why,  Major  Kildare,  of  course.  He 
thinks  Doctor  Fox  the  best  fellow  in  the 
country.  I  suppose  you  know  that  the 
Major  accepted  his  invitation  to  call  and 
take  his  revenge,  and  won  back  all  his  mon 
ey,  and  immediately  went  out  on  the  mar 
ket  and  bought  the  finest  tiger  skin  he 
could  find,  and  hung  it  in  his  office.  So  that 
is  why  there  is  one  man  in  Africa  better 
than  the  doctor  in  playing  the  little  game 
of  Poker." 

"That  is  a  matter  of  opinion,"  said 
Schwatka,  sarcastically  ;  as  he  strolled  away, 
Donald  joined  the  doctor,  who  was  sitting 
on  deck  by  Dainty's  side,  and  offered  him  a 


200         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

cigar.  The  day  was  lovely.  Not  a  ripple 
disturbed  the  surface  of  the  ocean. 

"  Laure,"  said  the  doctor,  "  do  you  know 
what  became  of  that  diamond  which  the 
detectives  couldn't  find,  and  which  was  hid 
den  in  the  Bushman's  eye  ?" 

Donald's  cigar  fell  from  his  mouth,  and 
he  seemed  to  shrivel  up  in  his  chair.  "  If 
you  don't,"  continued  the  doctor,  as  coolly 
as  if  he  had  asked  the  time  of  day,  "  I  do." 

"  You  !  "  gasped  Donald. 

"  Yes.  I  believe  it  is  in  a  mail  bag  on 
board  this  very  steamer." 

"  Impossible  !  "  ejaculated  Donald. 

"  Not  at  all.  In  fact,  quite  probable,"  said 
the  doctor,  showing  him  the  postal  order, 
and  then  related  his  interview  with  Bela. 

Donald  was  stunned,  and  when  the  doctor 
handed  him  the  order  for  recovery  of  the 
package  on  his  arrival  in  London,  the  cir 
cumstance  did  not  tend  to  restore  calm. 

Donald  hesitated  at  first,  but  his  fingers 
finally  closed  over  the  bit  of  paper  that 
made  him  again  owner  of  the  diamond. 
After  looking  it  over,  he  turned  to  Dainty 
and  said  : 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.         201 


"I  think  the 
diamond  belongs  to 
you.     If  it  were  not  now 
on   its  way  to  England    through  your  in 
fluence,  I  would  not  be  sitting  here.     I  will 


202         An  /.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa. 

endorse  this  order,  so  that  you  will  own  the 
diamond." 

He  did  so,  and  eventually  the  gem  came 
into  the  possession  of  Dainty. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  nineteenth 
day  out,  the  steamer  anchored  in  the  bay  of 
Plymouth.  A  tender,  with  relatives  and 
friends  of  the  passengers  aboard,  came  out 
to  meet  and  take  them  ashore. 

In  the  gathering  gloom  the  faces  of  those 
on  board  the  "Arab"  were  not  discernible, 
but  the  outline  of  the  forms  of  three  people 
could  be  seen,  standing  silently  apart  from 
the  crowd  at  the  gangway.  Names  were 
called  out,  and  greeted  with  hearty,  joyous 
words  of  recognition.  Many  stood  waiting 
to  disembark  as  soon  as  the  signal  was 
given.  Suddenly  a  voice  called  out  : 

"  If  Mr.  Donald  Laure  is  on  board,  he 
will  please  land  here,  as  his  wife,  from  Scot 
land,  is  waiting  to  receive  him  !  " 

Not  a  sound  was  heard  from  those  on 
deck.  All  stood  as  silent  as  ghosts  in  the 
gathering  mist. 

On  hearing  those  words,  Herr  Schvvatka 
looked  at  Dainty,  who  stood  rooted  to  the 


An  I.  D.  B.  in  South  Africa.          203 

spot,  and  putting  his  arm  around  her  sup 
ported  her  firmly  and  tenderly,  as  he  uttered 
three  words  : 

"  Mine  at  last  !  " 

Donald  turned  to  Dainty  with  a  face  like 
death,  but  only  to  see  her  led  away  from 
him  upheld  by  the  arm  of  Herr  Schwatka. 
With  a  slow  step,  like  that  of  a  man  walking 
to  his  doom,  he  disappeared  down  the  gang 
plank  to  meet  the  "wife  from  Scotland  !  " 

We  know  not  for  what  race  we  are  pre 
paring.  Fate  holds  the  leading  horses  in 
her  hands.  But  sooner  or  later  we  must 
drive. 

In  a  certain  copy  of  the  "  Bloemfontein 
Gazette  "  is  the  following  notice. 

MARRIED. 

FOX-DARCY. — At  the  residence  of  the 
bride's  brother,  Kimberley,  South  Africa, 
May  22,  1 8—  Miss  Kate  Darcy  and  C.  A. 
Fox,  M.D.  New  York  City  papers  please 
copy. 


•' 


I.  The  Marked  Diamond, 3 

II.  The  Mystic  Sign, 1 1 

III.  Cupid's  Arrow  in  an  African  Forest,     .     .  18 

IV.  The  Unwelcome  Letter, 23 

V.  Impressions, 31 

VI.  Kate, 39 

VIL  The  Story  of  a  Singer, 47 

VIII.  Horses  and  Riders, 57 

IX.  Poker  and  Philosophy, 64 

X.  An  Explosion  or  Two, 74 

XI.  A  Visit  to  a  Diamond  Mine, 83 

XII.  Strolling  among  Riches, 90 


206  Contents. 

CHAPTER  PAGK 

XIII.  A  Morning  Ride, 99 

XIV.  An  Unexpected  Declaration, 106 

XV.  An  Abrupt  Awakening, 116 

XVI.   The  Family  Physician, 125 

XVII.    "  You  have  made  me  your  Prisoner,"  .     .  133 

XVIII.   A  Friend  in  Deed, 140 

XIX.  Detectives, 146 

XX.   One  of  Eve's  Daughters, 155 

XXI.   On  the  Heights, 162 

XXII.    Pinning  Leaves  Together, 171 

XXIII.  What  shall  They  do  with  It  ?      .     .      .     .179 

XXIV.  How  will  it  End  ? 189 

XXV.  The  End  of  the  Voyage, 198 


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